A Better Route
by Tobi wants a cookie
Summary: What if Minato had taken Obito in when he found out about his less than great life with the Uchiha's? What if because of that, Rin survived? What if the two of them raised Naruto? Who would lead the Akatsuki? So many questions, but you'll have to read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

I got this idea for this fanfic when I wrote me last fanfic Politics in the Mist, check it out if you have the time. To explain it simply, what if Obito had been taken in by Minato and Kushina and this leads to Rin surviving. I'm planning on having the two of them raise Naruto, and of course someone else will lead the Akatsuki. Who? You'll have to read to find out now won't you. This is gonna be a little short, but it's an epilogue. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Obito got to his front door and took a deep breath, he always hated going home at the end of the day. He wasn't well liked around here, the whole Uchiha compound wasn't really a safe place to be for him. It didn't seem to matter to them that he trained as hard as he could, all that matter was that he had ended up dead last. The people at the compound often would stop him just to give him a talking to and beat the ever living crap out of him. His father wasn't exactly nice to him either, in the Uchiha clan either you were a great ninja or weren't a ninja at all.

He opened the door and walked in, "Mom, Dad, I'm home. The mission went well today."

His father, Otuka, (he doesn't have a name in the anime so I just gave him one) rolled his eyes, "Oh excellent, you got through another D-ranked completed. How long has your team been doing those now?"

Obito really hated when his father did this, "A week dad."

Otuka shook his head, "It's a time of war, most of the other teams how start regular C-ranks by now."

Obito got a glass from the cupboard, "Minato-sensei doesn't want us doing mission until he feels our team works ok, and Kakashi-baka won't work with us."

Otuka scoffed, "Please, he just knows you're too weak. Kakashi is a fine ninja and Rin was top kunoichi of the year, you're the one holding them back."

Obito drank some of his water, "Dad, can't you ever just encourage me or something, I'm really trying out there."

Otuka glared at his son, "And what do you have to show for it, you haven't even developed your Sharingan."

Obito was getting very tired of the conversation, "You need to be in a life or death situation to activate it."

Otuka growled at him, "Then maybe that's what you need to do."

Obito muttered under his breath, "I would have thought that the night you nearly beat death for being dead last would've counted."

Otuka grabbed his son's wrist, "You did that to yourself, you're an Uchiha, you don't get to be dead last."

Obito tried to get away, "Dad, let me go, I'm trying!"

Otuka grabbed harder, "Trying isn't good enough," He smacked his son across the face causing him to fall to the ground.

His mother, Tuhia, walked in, "Otuka, is this really necessary."

Otuka looked at his wife, "Of course, how else will the boy learn!"

Tuhia sighed, "Alright darling if you must, just be sure no one outside the compound can know."

Otuka turned to where his son had been and didn't see him, "The only he's ever been good at, running."

* * *

Obito looked around until he found the right address, "Sensei said he could find him here if I ever needed him, I really hope he doesn't mind."

He knocked on the door and Minato walked out, "Obito, what's up, do you need something?"

Obito did his best to hide the bruise on his face "Um, my parents are out of town, could I maybe stay here tonight."

Minato put his finger under the boy's chin and made him look up, "Where'd you get the bruise?"

Obito laughed nervously, "Oh, I just smacked my face on a tree on the way here."

Minato looked at him, "Why didn't you arrange to stay with one of your relatives?"

Obito was nervous he was getting found out, "You know me, I don't think before I do things."

Minato motioned for the boy to come in, "Come on in, I think we've got some things to clear up."

Obito did as he was told and went inside, a red haired woman greeted him, "Hello there, you must be Obito, the Uchiha boy Minato-kun's been telling me about. I'm his wife Kushina, nice to meet you."

Obito smile, the woman seemed very nice, "Yeah, does sensei really talk about me."

Kushina nodded, "Of course, he says that you're a very hard worker and that if you keep it up you'll be a great shinobi on day."

Minato asked him to sit down on the couch, "Obito, I need you to tell me how you really got that bruise."

Obito stammered, "What do you mean, I...I"

Minato looked at him hard, "Obito, come on."

Obito looked at the ground, "It's my dad, he's still mad about me not be the top shinobi of the year."

Minato sighed and leaned back, "I was afraid of this, Obito why didn't you say anything?"

Obito scratched the back of his head, "I'm okay really. I just need to get better and it'll go away on it's own."

Kushina wasn't having it "Obito, you can't be serious!"

Obito got up, "This was a mistake, I shouldn't have come here."

Minato stopped him, "Sit back down, now how often does this happen?"

Obito shifted nervously, "I don't know, two or three times a week."

Minato nodded, "And how bad are they?"

Obito rubbed his arm nervously, "They're usually pretty bad, although he usually doesn't hit me in the face. He's too careful, that's why he buys me long sleeve cloths."

Minato got up and rolled his sleeve up, there were indeed bruises all up his arm. Kushina gasped, "Oh my god, you can't keep staying there."

Obito pulled it back down, "It'll pass, trust me. I'll get stronger and he'll stop."

Minato disagreed, "Obito, that's isn't the point. We need to get out of there."

Obito started to cry, "Look, it's my fault anyway…"

Kushina came up and gave the boy a hug, "No it isn't, you're a lovely boy and a hard worker. Don't you dare say it's your fault."

Minato stood up, "I'm going to talk to the Hokage, see about getting you out of there."

Obito jumped up, "But the Uchiha's…"

Minato was already leaving, "Don't worry them, they'll have to get through me to get to you."

Kushina came up to Obito, "Come sweetie, lets get you something to eat and make up the guest room for you."

* * *

Minato walked into the Hokage's office "Sir, we've got a problem."

Sarutobi looked up, "And that would be?"

Minato told him about the events at his house and the old man rubbed his temples, "This is a delicate situation. The Uchiha's don't like to be told how they can and can't raise their children, and it's nearly impossible to fight the entire clan. We can't go after them for child endangerment that's for sure."

Minato thought for a second, "Well, what if someone else were to take him in."

Sarutobi looked through and old book he was holding, "Has he activated his Sharingan yet?"

Minato shook his head, "No."

Sarutobi put the book down, "Then it should be fine, if what you've told me it true then they shouldn't care if someone takes him in. They'll just see it as getting rid of a weak clan member. Who were going to have take him in?"

Minato grinned "Actually, me and Kushina. I like the kid, and he needs a place to stay. We have more room than we need and I know Kushina will be okay with it."

Sarutobi laughed at his plan and gave him some papers, "Have one of his parents sign this and fill out the rest. I'll take care of the rest."

Minato took the paper and went to meet Otuka.

* * *

Otuka heard on knock on the door and opened it to find Minato, "What do you want?"

Minato told him everything he had found out and showed him the papers, "I want to take in your so, to become his legal guardian."

Otuka looked at the papers and laughed, "Why do you want the little failure?"

Minato glared at him, "He's not a failure, he's a good kid who needs some help. That's all."

Otuka pulled out a pen, "Fine, he's a disgrace anyways. Any objects Tuhia?"

Tuhia looked nervous, but in the end said, "I suppose not, it's probably best if he just leaves the clan anyways."

Otuka signed it, "His things are in his room, if you want them grab them."

Minato grabbed what few things he felt were worthing grabbing and headed back, he was very happy to be out of that house.

* * *

Minato got back to the house to find Kushina and Obito laughing on the couch, "Oh man that's awesome, he really did that?"

Kushina just kept laughing, "Oh yeah, he might be a great ninja but he likes raman way to much!"

Minato walked in, "Glad to see you guys are having a good time. I've got something to talk to you about."

Obito looked at him, "What's that, did I do something wrong?"

Minato told him about everything that happened, "I'm sorry Obito, but I really do want you to stay."

Obito looked scared, "Why would you do all of this for me?"

Minato smirked, "You're a good kid and I like you, why not? I think it'd be nice to have you here, don't you Kushina?"

Kushina jumped up, "Of course, our house is your house."

Obito ran up with tears in his eyes and hugged them, "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Minato hugged him back and smiled, he had feeling things were about to take a very good turn for the better.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of 'A Better Route'. I really have no idea where I got that name. Time for some more interaction with the Namikazes and Obito. I'm pleased to have gotten a good response from this already, always good to have positive feedback. On a side not, once I marked my last fanfic 'Politics in the Mist' as complete, I suddenly got way over 5000 views in one day, talk about crazy! Anyways, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Obito woke to confusion at where he was before soon remember he lived with his Sensei now. He still wasn't sure how to feel about that, but he figured it couldn't possibly be worse than dealing with his father. The smell of food in the kitchen hit his nose, so he decided to walk out.

Kushina was cooking some bacon and eggs on the stove and happily chatting to Minato. It looked strange to Obito, usually his parents were extremely aggravated in the morning. He tried to talk to either of them they would just snap at him. Kushina saw Obito and smiled at him, "Obito-kun, you don't mind if I call you that do you?" Obito nodded that it was okay, "Good, I've got breakfast here so I hope you're hungry. Come on, get a plate and sit down.

Obito did as Kushina told him and got plate, he got some food and sat down at the table, "Looks good, we don't have this often at the compound."

Minto raised an eyebrow, "Really, what do you eat?"

Obito shrugged, "Whatever they give us, it's usually just some oatmeal or something healthy like that. For whatever reason they're super strict about what we eat."

Kushina made herself a plate and sat down, "I never believed that health kick stuff, I mean we're ninja's after all. We work so hard we need extra fat and carbs."

Obito liked the sound of that, "So, what time we head out for mission's?"

Minato thought for a second, "About half an hour. Why, are you actually gonna be on time today?"

Obito laughed nervously, "Sorry, I lose track of time really easily. I don't know what it is."

Kushina shrugged, "I was a bit of troublemaker myself back at the academy, if I ever showed up late they knew I had done something that was gonna be hilarious...and expensive to fix."

Minato chuckled at the memories, "Oh yeah, like when you gave the teacher dongo laced with sleeping pills and then died his hair pink after he passed out. That was priceless."

Kushina winked, "That's why I'm a good ninja, I'm sneaky."

Obito loved how laid back these two were, it was awesome. Obito went to go grab a quick shower, "I'll be sure to be out before we have to leave sensei."

Minato nodded, "Alright, be sure you're not late. You can't make excuses because I know exactly why'd you'd be late now."

Obito scratched the back of his head, "Good point…"

* * *

Obito got to the training ground a minute early, much to Rin and Kakashi's surprise, "Obito, is that really you? I'm mean, you're on time and everything."

Obito scowled, "Ya I know, ha ha so, funny. Well from now on I'm gonna be on time for everything."

Kakashi was clearly quite skeptical, "And why is that?"

Obito wasn't sure how answer that, "Well, it's kind of a long story, don't worry about it."

Rin looked at him and saw his cheek, "Obito, is there a bruise on your cheek?"

Obito was getting nervous, "Um yeah, I just got smacked in the face by a tree that's all."

Minato spoke up, "Can you give me a second with Obito please?"

They both walked away and Minato turned to Obito, "Why don't you want to tell them?"

Obito looked down, "Tell them that my parent thought I was so worthless that they didn't care what happened to me, yeah I don't think so."

Minato put his hand on Obito's shoulder, "Obito, they're your friends, I'm sure they'll support you. You're not worthless, your parents are just asses."

Obito was scared, but nodded, "Guys, you can come back now."

They walked over and Rin was extremely curious, "Obito, what's going on?"

Obito took a deep breath and told them everything that had happened the day before. Rin looked appalled and Kakashi didn't look exactly pleased either. "Obito, did they, do they really beat you?"

Obito didn't respond, he just nodded. Rin ran up and hugged him, "Oh my god Obito, why the hell didn't you tell us?"

Kakashi answered that, "Rin, he hadn't told anyone. He was obviously scared to tell anyone. He's from the Uchiha clan, they're a very private clan." He turned to Obito, "I'm sorry, I know we don't always get along, but even I feel bad about this. When my dad was still around at least he was always there for me when I needed him, you didn't even that."  
Obito looked surprised at what Kakashi said, "Thanks man, that...that means alot."

Minato smiled, "Now you see, teamwork. That's what I've been talking about, everyone trying to understand each other so that we can all work together. I think you guys are finally ready for a C-rank."

Kakashi liked the sound of that, "Alright, awesome. When can we go?"

Minato laughed at his excitement, "I'll set it up so that we can leave tomorrow. I'd like all of you guys to come over and have dinner with us and stay the night so we can be sure we all are ready tomorrow. Any objections."

They all shook there head, "Good, get whatever you need and then come to my place. We'll go over protocol, have dinner, and then get a good nights sleep for tomorrow."

Kakashi hurried home to get ready and Rin waved good bye, "See you soon sensei, you too Obito-kun."

She left and Obito turned to his sensei, "Did you hear that, she called me Obito-kun! Oh man this is so awesome!"

Minato smiled and told the boy to head home and tell Kushina to prepare for company while he set everything up with the Hokage. Obito ran home sitting grinning from ear to ear and blushing.

* * *

Obito got back home and found Kushina sharpening some kunai, "Kushina, sensei invited the team to have dinner here and stay the night before we on our first C-rank. I hope that's ok."

Kushina nodded, "Of course, I've been asking to meet his team for ages. I'm just glad I finally get to see the other two."

Obito was glad she was okay with all this, "That's good. Rin-chan called me Obito-kun today."

Kushina noticed a little blush when he mentioned her, "Oh, do you like this girl?"

Obito jumped a little at the question, "Well yeah, she's my teammate."

Kushina laughed, "You know that's not what I meant, do you have a crush on her?"

Obito nodded slightly, "She's beautiful, and smart, and nice, and…"

Kushina could see he was clearly head over heels for the girl, "Wow, you really like her. So why don't you ask her out?"

Obito looked her like she was crazy, "I can't do that, what if she say no? Even worse, what if she laughs at me?"

Kushina gave him a soft smile, "Well, to be honest you don't know if she will. However, if she's a smart and kind as you say she is, she'll definitely say yes if you ask. Roll the dice and have some faith."

Obito still looked nervous, "Ok...but what do I say?"

Kushina laughed, "Come on, I'll help you."

* * *

Minato got back from the Hokage's office with a scroll in hand. He found that his three students were all there waiting for him, "You guys are eager aren't you."

They all nodded, "Well good, we've got a few things to go over though. Kakashi I realize this will be somewhat review for you as you've been on a C-rank before."

Kushina was a little surprised at that, "Really, I thought he was genin."

Kakashi shook his head, "No way, I've been a chunin for the past two years. The Hokage felt it was best if I was on team for a while. All my commanding officers felt that was the one area I was lacking in. If I can prove that I have that, then they'll finally promote me to jonin."

Kushina was impressed, "Wow, that's pretty good. I made jonin at 16 myself."

Rin was a little confused by that, "Wait, I didn't know you were a ninja."

Kushina shrugged, "Well yeah, I just don't go on missions as often because of...well lets just say I have something very important to the Leaf they don't want to risk."

Obito wanted to ask more, but Minato cut in, "Anyway, there aren't too many protocols for a C-rank, it's all pretty simple."

Rin was listening attentively, "Ok, so what are they?"

Minato started to name them off, "Number 1, everything that happenings on the mission is classified until otherwise told so."

Kakashi rolled his eyes, "Well yeah, that's a given for any mission."

Minato figured that would be there response, "Number 2, if you're captured, say nothing and wait for someone to come find you."

Obito spoke up, "We would go get them right?"

Minato smiled, "Well, we're not technically supposed to, but I always say, those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandoned their teammates are lower than trash."

Kakashi remembered his father dying over such a rule. He still wasn't sure if he agreed with that, but for now he'd accept it.

Minato counted off the final rule, "And last but not least, the mission is done be done before anything else. We can have fun outside the village later."

Obito was getting pumped, "Where are we going?"

Minato told him, "We have mission to the deliver a message to scroll to some cloud ninja at a neutral location."

Rin was went wide eyed, "Are we finally close to peace with them?"

Minato smiled, "We're getting there, but we've still got aways to go."

Kushina scowled, "So we're finally getting those war mongers to listen huh, good. Those guys are such power hungry fools."

Obito was sensing some hostility, "Did something happen with you and the cloud ninja?"

Kushina frowned and nodded, "Crazy little pricks tried to kidnap me when I was about 18."

Rin was shocked, "Really, why?"

Kushina sighed, "Not a ton of people know this, but I'm the jinjuriki of the Kyuubi. When I was 10 I was brought here from the whirlpool when it was destroyed by the hidden Rock. They seek to get all of the tailed beasts."

Even Kakashi was interested, "Who saved you."

Kushina walked over to her husband, "Well this big hunk right here, he saved my from a whole group of Cloud jonin. He found me when no one else could."

Rin loved a good romantic story, "How did he find you?"

Kushina gave her husband a kiss on the cheek, "I left strands of my hair so that someone could find me, only Minato-kun figured out it was my hair. He said that only one person had hair as beautiful as that."

Rin had stars in her eyes, "Oh, that's so sweet!"

Kakashi thought it was cheesy, but chose to not to say anything for his own health. Minato smiled at his wife, "Hard to believe it took me saving your life just to get you to stop thinking I was some spineless bookworm."

Kushina giggled, "Well you were always reading those sealing books, what was I supposed to think."

Minato pouted, "I was doing it to create the Yellow Flash, I needed to read those books."

Kushina just kept giggling, "Come on you guys, dinner's ready."

She had made some dumplings and a special fish sauces from back when she lived in the whirlpool. It was fantastic, much to Rin's surprise, "I usually hate anything fish related, but this is great."

Kushina was glad she liked it, "Oh thank you, it's an old favorite of mine."

Rin ate some more dumplings, "So what's having Obito-kun here like?"

Kushina smiled, she was hoping Rin would ask that, "Oh it's great, he's just such a little joy to have around. He's so nice and helpful. You must love to have him on your team."

Rin smiled at Obito and he blushed, "Oh yeah, it's great. I had no idea how bad it was at home though, and he still was always more worried us than himself. He's really something special."

Kushina smirked, hook, line, and sinker, "Oh my, sounds like you have a little crush on him."

Obito still wasn't sure about Kushina's plan, but he said what he told her to say, "Yeah Rin, you trying to take me on a date or something."

Rin laughed, "Well, he is a nice guy. Who knows, maybe."

Obito knew it was now or never, "How about after we get back from the Cloud mission I take you out to dinner?"

Rin smiled and nodded, "Ok, sound good."

Obito had to stop himself from jumping up and down in joy. Kushina knew her work was done. They ate the rest of the meal with playful jokes and good stories. It was a good night for all involved.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3, they're off to the Cloud! I'm glad everyone's enjoy the story so far, makes writing it way more fun. I do my best to update at least once every day or two, so don't worry about having to wait too long in between chapters. Thank you for reading and please and review.

* * *

They woke up about five in the morning, which was a little early even for a ninja. Obito found he had similar breakfast wait for him from the morning before, "Kushina, aren't you're up a little early?"

Kushina yawned, "I don't mind at all. The whole not able to go on missions very often thing makes me feel kinda useless. At least this way I'm doing something."

Obito started to eat when Kakashi walked out, "Wow, you made us breakfast. Thank you Kushina-san."

Kushina made him a plate, "Don't call me Kushina-san, Kushina is just fine."

Kakashi went to eat with Obito watching intently, much to Kakashi's confusion, "What?"

Obito kept watching, "Well, I've never seen you with your mask off before. I'm just kinda curious."

Kakashi pointed out the window, "What's that?"

They both looked over then turned back to Kakashi to find he had already eaten, "Wouldn't want to ruin the mystery."

Obito was about to object when Rin came out, "Hey Kakashi, Obito-kun. Oh, breakfast."

Minato got out of the shower to find his wife and students eating breakfast, "Oh, hey guys. What's going on?"

Kushina handed him a plate, "Come on, get yourself some food."

Minato sat down and started eating, "So, how much do you guys know about the war with the Cloud?"

Rin, the always intellectual one, spoke up, "The war was started about a year ago, a month after the Rock declared war on us. They offered assistance to us against them in exchange for something that we were never told about in school. Wait, that must have been Kushina, right?" Kushina nodded, "We of course refused, so they in declared war on us."

Minato nodded, "That about sums it up, we've finally got them to possibly agree to stop the war in exchange for neither side having to pay damages to the other. The Third Raikage is getting old and he'll die soon, without him they'll have a very difficult time beating us. We think they want to end the war before that happens."

Obito finished his food and got up, "I'm going to take a shower, see you guys in a few minutes."

They went to get their things ready so that they could shower and leave. They were all beyond excited for this.

* * *

The trip to the meeting point was rather boring. Granted, most C-ranks don't get much action, but still this was just mind numbing. At least it gave Obito a chance to talk to Rin, "So Rin-chan, did you have any particular place you wanted to go to for dinner when we get back?"

Rin thought for a second, "Well, I do have this dongo stand I love to go to, but I never get to go because I'm the only one in my house who likes it."

Obito liked the sound of that, "Perfect, we'll head there for dinner, then maybe go for a walk around the village."

Rin smiled, "Sound great Obito-kun."

Kakashi gave a mock gag at the two, "Can you guys wait till we get back to start talking about mushy crap."

Minato on the other hand was happy to see his two students starting to form a relationship, "Come on Kakashi, let them have their fun. I'm for one am glad to see those two finally getting together."

Rin was confused, "What do you mean finally?"

Obito looked at them with a 'shut the hell up' glare, "Oh nothing, people just thought we should get together."

Rin nodded, "Oh, okay that makes sense."

Kakashi sighed, "Man, I forgot how boring C-ranks can be at times."

Obito had forgotten he had been on these before, "Oh right, what kind of C-ranks did you go on before?"

Kakashi was more than happy to talk about his past accomplishments, "The biggest one was when I got to go to the hidden Rock to assist in an assassination of one of their higher up jonin. But the only thing I actually got to do sneak around a compound with my summoning dogs and bust a few locks."

Rin smiled, "Still, at your age that's pretty impressive."

Minato was about to speak, but suddenly stopped. He had nervous look on his face and spoke in a low hushed voice voice, "Kakashi, I think I sense someone. Summon one of your dogs and see if they can smell anyone."

Kakashi made some hand signs and summoned a pug and told him to sniff around, "Why would are you nervous sensei, it's not like it could be someone who's a threat is it?"

Minato frowned, "I think I've sensed this chakra before, I wouldn't' forget it."

The pug stopped and looked at them, "Any reason I would smell a bull and octopus scent in the same place?"

Minato scowled, "The eight tails, damn. What the hell are they doing here."

The pug sniffed again, "I think they're passing us, maybe we're not in for a fight after all."

Minato shook his head, "No, that's exactly what they want. I was the one who beat A and Bee last time. They must have figured I'd ask for this mission because I wanted the peace treaty to go through for Kushina's sake. We've got to turn back and go stop those two, they're after Kushina!"

Obito was confused, "Who's A and Bee?"

Minato sighed, "The Clouds most powerful tag team, the son of the Third Raikage and soon to be Fourth Raikage A, and his adopted brother and master of the eight tails Bee aka Killer Bee. Last time they came for Kushina I fought against them and won. They want to get Kushina while I'm out of the village. Thanks Kakashi, you can send the pug away."

Kakashi threw the dog a treat and it proofed away then he looked at his sensei, "Wait, you beat a tailed beast and a Kage level shinobi at the same time?"

Minato did his best to explain, "Sort of, but it was because I got to a point where I could have killed Bee before he go full form. I didn't fight them head on, I just forced them to retreat with some strategy. If I had to full on fight them I doubt I would have won."

Rin saw a flaw in what her sensei had just said, "Then how do you intend to win this time?"

Minato smirked, "Same way I did last time, by using what they don't know about me against them."

Rin was still massively confused, "But you said you fought them before, what don't they know about you?"

Minato looked at his team, "That I have you with me."

Obito went pale, "But were nowhere near strong enough to fight them!"

Minato knew this to be true, "Yes, but you have skills that I can use to force them into a trap. Do as I say and we can force them into a corner like I did last time. They may be strong, but they count on brute strength to win all their fight. Against me, that won't work."

* * *

.

A and Bee were making their way to the hidden Leaf to retrieve the nine tails. With the Third's health going down faster by the day, they needed the nine tails to win this war. A however was nearly ready to kill his brother, "Yo bro, how long till we get there, ya know!"

A growled, "Maybe if you stop rapping I'll tell you."

Bee shot back at his brother, "The day I stop rappin is the day you can put me in the grave, on this I won't cave! Fool, ya fool!"

A was about to smack his brother when he saw a light out of the corner of his eye. He turned around to find a massive fireball coming his way. A and Bee jumped back to avoid it and found that dogs were coming at them. A smack one away and Bee dodge another. The didn't notice a three pronged kunai land behind them.

A yellow flash appeared and Minato stood behind them, kunais to their necks, "Howdy boys, remember me?"

A ground his teeth, "But you were supposed to be on a mission to meet our shinobi, how the hell did you know about us?"

Minato smirked, "Did you really think I'd forget you brother's chakra signature? I'm gonna guess that you passed us to make sure that we were really the ones coming with scroll, bad idea. You guys just head back now and there'll be no trouble."

A didn't like the sound of that, "And if we don't? It's gonna take more than this little stunt to take us down."

Minato shrugged, "Well, then I send my students back to tell everyone you're here and I hold you off until renforcement come."

A sighed, it looked like they got screwed over again, "Fine, but one way or another we will get the nine tails, that much you can count on."

Minato growled in a deep voice, "I'll kill you before I'll let you take my wife. You can count on that."

A turned around, "Come on Bee, looks like this just isn't our day."

Bee followed his brother, "Not bad Mr. Flash, but someday we'll kick your ass! Fool, ya fool!"

A smacked his brother, "We already failed the mission, don't make look worse than we already do!"

They left and the three students came out of hiding. Obito looked at his sensei, "So now what?"

Minato thought about it for a second, "I guess we just head back and report, no reason to give them the peace treaty at this point."

The three nodded and headed home, at least the mission was a success...kinda.

* * *

Minato got back to the Hokage's office and began to tell him everything that happened, "So basically, after we finished our...I don't know weather to call it a conversation or threats but that doesn't matter. They left and we came back here."

Sarutobi gave a large sigh, "So there aren't really any peace offers on the table, well that's just awful. We lost too many ninja as it is."

Minato put his report on the table, "If it's any consolation, this means they've got to be desperate. If they would make this bold of a move the Raikage's health must be getting really bad. The war won't be going for much longer if he dies."

Sarutobi still wasn't happy, "That still means more people will have to die. This is getting ridiculous, we've got to end this war. I don't care about money or power any more, I just want the villagers to feel safe again."

Minato looked at the man, he remembered when he first took the position of Hokage. He had looked so much younger when he had started as Hokage, the man looked like he had aged thirty years in just ten. Minato put his hand on the man's shoulder, "There's nothing you can do, you've tried everything to end this war without us having to surrender. It's not your fault sir."

Sarutobi looked at the blond with tired eyes, "Try telling that to all the families of the men who've died in this war. I'm not going to feel better until this war is over, even then I doubt I'll ever sleep through the night again. Every action I make has hundreds of lives hanging in the balance, do you know what that's like?"

Minato really felt bad for the old man, "No sir I don't, but you're taking a massive burden off everyone else. Someone has to do this job, you're one of the only people with the balls to take it. If they want to question you, then tell them to come do this job themselves and see how well they do with it."

Sarutobi laughed at that, "Thanks, I'll have to remember that one next time the council jumps on my ass."

Minato was glad he was able to cheer the man up a bit and he and his team exited the office. Kakashi just gave them a simple goodbye and left, and Rin told Obito that she would see him tomorrow for the date. Obito smiled and told her goodbye and told his sensei to hurry home, "Come on, I wanna get some tips from Kushina for the date."

Minato laughed and followed him, it kind of reminded him of how he felt preparing for is first date with Kushina. It made him happy that letting him stay with them was really starting to help the boy.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4, you ready for some more... Sorry I'm still a little off from trying to think of some rhymes for Killer Bee. Oh, and sorry about posting the third chapter as the second one at first, my bad, and thanks to Kedo for telling me so I could fix it so soon. Well, time for Rin and Obito's first date, I can't wait...son of a bitch I need to stop doing that! Lets just move along, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Minato had been watching Kushina and Obito talk about what to do and not to do on a date for the past hour, and they still seemed to have plenty to go over. The big date was tonight after all. He listen and found that a lot of the don'ts he had done himself on several dates with Kushina, "Kushina-chan, didn't I do half of that stuff on our first date?"

Kushina laughed, "Oh yeah, you had no idea what you were doing."

Minato was lost, "Then why'd you agree to the second date?"

Kushina smiled, "Because you tried very hard and that's the important thing...that and you gave me one hell of goodnight kiss."

Minato blushed, which Obito found hilarious, "Yeah...I...um well...yeah."

Obito was on the floor rolling in laughter, "Oh man, that's freaking hilarious! Sensei's actually embarrassed!"

Kushina looked at Minato smiled, "Sorry sweetie, but I think I might have made you lose some of your credit with Obito."

Minato just sighed, "I'm going to get some ramen…"

He left and Kushina turned to Obito, "So, where did you say you were going?"

Obito stopped laughing, "This dongo place she likes. Apparently she doesn't get to go very often so I thought it was a good place to start."

Kushina nodded, "Excellent choice, and after that?"

Obito was glad his first move was a good one, "Well, then we go out for a walk around the village. I was gonna bring her by this little lake that I really like."

Kushina was impressed, "Very nice. If you give her a great goodnight kiss you'll have this in the bag."

Obito went pale, "Go-go-goodnight k-ki-kiss?"

Kushina looked at him with gentle eyes, "Well, that can wait I suppose. But if I were you I'd try to give her a kiss that would knock her shocks off."

Obito gulped, "But I don't know anything about kissing."

Kushina laughed, "Oh, believe me when you're kissing someone you really care about, you don't need to know. Just put all your emotion into it and it'll work out just fine."

Obito nodded, "Alright, I'm gonna go grab a shower and get ready."

Kushina couldn't help it, she was really starting to care for the boy. The boy was just part of the family now. She couldn't wait to hear how the date went.

* * *

Obito got up to Rin's door and knocked, he was in his usual clothes minus the goggles and with his hair done up a bit. Rin came out with a smile on her face, she had on a white top and black skirt. There was a small bit of pink lipstick on her as well. "Wow, Rin-chan you look beautiful!"

Rin giggled, "Thanks, you look good too."

Obito remember what Kushina had said and offered her his arm, "Shall we head out?"

Rin took his arm, "Sure, I give you directions to the dongo shop while we walk.

They start walking, "So, how has living with sensei been?"

Obito laughed as he remember Kushina embarrassing Minato earlier, "Oh man, it's great. I've never had this much fun in my life. You should hear the way they tease each other. Like today…"

Rin listened to stories about her sensei from Obito, laughing with him constantly. "And so sensei ate the whole stand out of ramen, forcing them to go to the store to get more ingredients. He actually sat there and waited for them for an hour to get more stuff made, can you believe that?"

Rin nearly fell over from laughter, "Oh my gosh, that's awesome!"

They got to the dongo place and Obito and Rin sat down. The waitress came up, "Hello there, welcome to Ditrao's Dongo, I'll be your server. What can I get for you guys?"

Rin didn't even look at the menu, "Three sticks of your special dongo please."

Obito wasn't an expert in dongo, so he just order the same thing, "I'll have what she's having, thanks."

The waitress wrote that down, "Alright, I'll be right back with some tea for you guys after I put your order in."

Obito looked at Rin and started up a conversation, "So, what's your family like?"

Rin thought for a second, "Well, I'm an only child. I live with my mother since my father died in the war."

Obito went wide eyed, not a good thing to talk about on a date, "Oh, I'm sorry…"

Rin shook her head, "No, don't worry about it. It was during the second shinobi world war, I didn't really know him. I was only like 2 when he died."

Obito was thanking god that he didn't walk into something too major, "Oh, well that's too bad. It must have been hard living without a father."

Rin raised an eyebrow, "That's a strange, coming from a person who was beaten by their father," she put a hand over her mouth when she realized what she said, "Oh my gosh, why did I say that? I'm so sorry Obito-kun."

Obito shrugged, "It's alright, it all worked out for the best. Sensei and Kushina have been great for me."

Rin still felt bad, "I know, I still shouldn't have said that though."

Obito placed his hand on hers, "Hey, if that hadn't have happened, I never would have lived with sensei and Kushina. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't have even had the courage to ask you out."

Rin looked up, "Wait, you mean you've liked me for awhile now?"

Obito chuckled nervously, "Um...yeah actually."

Rin looked confused, "Why were you scared?"

Obito looked down, "I thought you had a crush on Kakashi. Kushina said I couldn't know that for sure and that if I was confident I had have good shot with you."

Rin was surprised by that, "I guess I did have a little crush on Kakashi, but every girl in our class did. It was just a silly crush, nothing serious. It started to go away when I saw the way he treated us when we were put on a team together. You on the other hand are always nice to everyone, and you try really hard at everything. So when you asked me out, I thought it sounded like a good idea."

The waitress came back with some tea, "Here you guys go. Your food should be out in about 10 minutes."

Obito nodded, "Thanks." He picked up his tea, "Well, I'm glad you came out tonight, and I'll do everything I can to make it the best date you ever had."

Rin giggled again, "Oh I know you will Obito-kun, I know you will."

* * *

Obito and Rin had an extremely fun dinner, between the stories, the great food and the good company. They had ended up walking through the village streets, not really talking much, more just enjoying the others company. It had been a great night, sadly it had to end eventually, "So Rin-chan, should I walk you home?"

Rin gave sad little nod, "Yeah, I guess you should. I had a great time thought."

Obito smiled at her, "Oh believe me I did to."

Rin leaned close to him, "Do I have to kiss you, or you gonna kiss me?"

Obito blushed, looks like it was the moment of truth. Obito leaned in and captured her lips, something he had wanted to do for years now. His body kind of went on autopilot and they just started to slowly deepen the kiss. He couldn't believe how soft and warm her lips were, even better than he imagined. They parted and all Obito could say was, "...Wow."

Rin looked hypnotized, "Yeah...wow. Obito-kun that was amazing."

Obito nodded dumbly, "Um...thanks."

Suddenly a voice interrupted their moment, "Well well, if it isn't the Uchiha out cast. What the hell is a pretty girl like that doing with you?"

Obito looked over to see a man with Uchiha symbol on his cloths and black hair. It was t one of the top asshole of the Uchiha, Ruyga who was about a year older than Obito, "What do want Ruyga?"

Ruyga looked him up and down, "Why do you still have the Uchiha symbol on your clothes, you're an outcast right?"

Obito sighed, "I haven't really had a chance to get new clothes yet, I've been kinda busy."

Ruyga looked and Rin and licked his lips, "I can see that," He walked over and stood next to Rin, "What's a hot piece of ass like you doing with this little shit?"

Rin scowled, "The only little shit I see here is you."

Ruyga gave a dark smile, "Don't be like that, we don't you come back to the Uchiha compound with me, then we can have you _coming_ somewhere else?"

Rin gagged, "That's disgusting you pervert! Get the hell out of here!"

Ruyga grabbed her neck, "Hey! Don't you talk to me like that! Do you know what most girls would give to fuck me?"

Obito gave him a hard punch in the face, "Don't touch her!"

Ruyga wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, "Bad move asshole."

He charge at him with a kunai only to have his hand caught and Obito who tossed him over his head onto his back. Ruyga looked up, "How the hell…"

Rin looked at Obito, "Obito-kun, your eyes!"

Obito looked in a shop window to find something amazing, his Sharingan had activated, "What but how? You have to be in a life or death situation."

Rin shook her head, "You need to be in extremely emotional distress, near death just brings that feeling out a lot."

Ruyga scoffed, "So you saw me coming at this little bitch and it activated your Sharingan, well that's just great."

Obito glared at him, "Get the out of here! I will kick your ass!"

Ruyga started to walk away, "I'll leave for now. It'll be more trouble than it's worth to kill you. But I'll get you for this."

Rin hugged Obito, "Obito-kun, are you okay?"

Obito hugged her back, "Of course, don't worry about me."

Rin just held him tighter, "I have to worry about my boyfriend!"

Obito realized what she just said, "Wait, boyfriend, really?"

Rin gave him a deep kiss, "Oh yeah, after tonight, you're definitely my boyfriend."

Obito really did jump for joy this time.

* * *

Ruyga found Fugaku and entered his office. The man was made clan head last year, he was young but very good for the clan. He was bound and determined to bring the Uchiha clan to it's rightful glory. "Fugaku-sama, I've got some news about Obito Uchiha."

Fugaku didn't even look up, "He's no longer an Uchiha in the eyes of the clan."

Ruyga nodded, "I know, but sir I entered into a confrontation with him and a girl and can only assume is his girlfriend tonight."

Fugaku still didn't look up, "Are they dead, if so we have a partially problematic situation on our hands, as he is very close Minato Namikaze and the jinjuriki of the nine tails."

Ruyga shook his head, "No sir, the emotional distress of seeing his girlfriend in danger caused his Sharingan to activate."

This time Fugaku looked up, "Now that is a problem. We can't have someone with an active Sharingan running around the village if he's not an Uchiha. This must be fixed immediately."

Ruyga knew what to do, "I'll summon his father and well see about getting him back into the clan. What do you wish us to do if he refuses?"

Fugaku thought for a moment, "If he wasn't living with one of the Leaf's top jonin I'd say kill him. However with him living with Minato and Kushina that isn't an option, they'd never let us get away with it. Do what ever you can to get him back without causing Minato to come after us, the Hokage loves Minato and we can't afford anymore pressure from above right now."

Ruyga exited the office, "Yes sir, it will be done."

Fugaku leaned back in his chair and sighed. This was going to be complicated.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5, time for the Uchiha to try and get Obito back. I'm pretty happy with how this is turning out, and I can't wait for you guys to see who I've got leading the Akatsuki in this. I always try to make my fanfics as original as possible, (all two I've written so far anyway) and I'm glad you guys are really enjoy it. You guys are the best! Anyways, thanks for reading please review.

* * *

Obito got back to the apartment and was still bouncing off the walls from his date, "This is the best day ever! Woohoo, this is so freaking awesome! Kushina, sensei, guess what!"

Kushina and Minato looked at him like he was crazy, Kushina tried to calm him down, "Okay Obito, what is it? Did your date go well?"

Obito was grinning ear to ear, "She wants to be my girlfriend! Rin-chan's my girlfriend now!"

Kushia squealed in joy, this was the type of thing she lived for, "Obito-kun, that's wonderful! Tell me everything about the date, don't leave out a single detail."

Obito sat down, "Dinner was great, she loved the dongo. Then we went on a walk and I told her a few funny stories and we just kind of hung out for a while. We had an awesome kiss! After that, well that's gonna take some explaining."

Kushina raised an eyebrow, "What happened?"

Obito activate his new found Sharingan, "We had a bit of an altercation with a member of my old clan."

Minato saw his eyes and was completely shocked, "Your Sharingan activated, did he almost kill you?"

Obito crossed his arms, "No, he tried to hurt Rin-chan and that made me active my Sharingan."

Minato nodded and smiled, "I see, well it appears you had one hell of a night."

Kushina was about to ask him more about his night when there was a knock at the door. Obito deactivated his Sharingan and got up, "I'll get it." He walked over and opened the door to a surprising sight, "Dad!"

Otuka gave a smile that Obito didn't see very often, "Hello son, I've come to discuss you returning to the Uchiha clan."

Obito didn't smile, to Otuka's surprise, "Fine, come in I guess."

Otuka stepped in and Minato had to stop Kushina from attacking him, "Otuka, I thought you said your son was a failure and not worthy to be and Uchiha."

Otuka shrugged, "I think I may have been too quick in giving up on him."

Obito was growling, "Dad, do you think I'm stupid?"

Otuka wasn't sure what he was talking about, "What is with all this hostility from you people? I've come to make amends for pete sake, let me!"

Kushina wasn't going to keep being quite anymore, "Make amends? You beat your son on a regular basis for the past few years, and you think that you can just come over and make amends? Hell no!"

Otuka was getting tired of this, "Well you have to start somewhere don't you?"

Obito was getting pissed, "Dad, do me a favor will you."

Otuka smiled, he felt like he was getting through, "Of course, what is it?"

Obito looked his father dead in the eye, "Go fuck yourself!"

Otuka couldn't believe what he just heard and Kushina was smirking on the side, "What did you just say to me?"

Obito repeat himself, "I said go fuck yourself. I'm not an idiot Dad, Ruyga told you I activated my Sharingan and now you want me back." He activated his Sharingan for emphasis.

Otuka saw his son's eyes and grinned, "So it's true. Well done son, I'm very proud of you. With these eyes you can rise above all other ninja in your generation. With the clans help of course."

Obito shook his head, "No, I'm not going back. I'm happy here, if it wasn't for sensei and Kushina I never would have activated my Sharingan or gotten Rin-chan to be my girlfriend. Now that my lifes getting good you want me back, well wrong answer! Leave!"

Otuka stood up, "Fine, you'll be back. Someone has to show the secrets of those eyes, and only an Uchiha can do that."

Obito scoffed, "Oh yeah, well the strongest Uchiha ever, Madara, had to learn almost everything himself. If he can do it then so can I."

Otuka slammed the door and walked out. Kushina came up and hugged Obito, "Oh, I'm so proud of you!"

Minato put his hand on his shoulder, "Nice job, maybe a little vulgar, but I'll let it slide this time."

Kushina smiled brightly at him, "I'm glad you're staying, I don't know what we'd do without you. You're part of the family now."

Obito liked the sound of that, "I'm glad you guys feel that way. Tomorrow I'm gonna go shop for some clothes without the Uchiha symbol on it. For now I think I'll just go to bed."

Kushina nodded, "Ok, but we're paying for it. Don't even try to say no, we insist."

Obito yawned and went to bed. Kushina came up and whispered in Minato's ear, "How about we go to bed ourselves. I'm still pretty awake though, I'm gonna need you to tire me out."

Minato picked her up bridal style, "Oh, I can take care of that."

* * *

Rin stood in front of sensei's front door with a terrified look in her eyes. She had to tell Obito, she cared too much about him not to. She was about to knock when the door opened on it's own, "Oh Rin, what's up?" Minato asked.

Rin was a little flustered, "Oh, I um…I need to talk to...Kushina, yeah Kushina!" She wasn't sure why she said that, she must have been scared.

Minato shrugged, "Ok, just let me go get her. She just got done giving Obito some cash so he could get some clothes without the Uchiha symbol on them."

Obito walked out as they were speaking, "Oh, hey Rin-chan, what are you doing here?"

Rin stuttered a little, "Oh-h, just tal-lking to Kushina, that's all."

Obito brushed past her, "Ok, I'd love to stay and talk, but I've got to get some new cloths. While you're here, what do you think goggles or no goggles?"

Rin smiled, "Well, since you have your Sharingan, they would make fighting kind of hard. Plus, your eyes are really nice."

Obito pulled them off and set them on the counter, "Good point, see you later."

Rin stopped him and gave him a big kiss. Obito smiled dumbly, "Um...thanks."

Rin hugged him, "Just want to make sure you know how much you mean to me."

Obito just kept smiling, "Oh, I know alright."

Obito left and Minato walked out too, "I've got to go and handle a few things with the Hokage, you have fun with Kushina."

Rin walked in to find Kushina sitting on the couch, "Hey Rin, what do you want to talk about."

Rin took a deep breath, "I, well...I've got to tell Obito-kun something."

Kushina raised an eyebrow, "What's that?"

Rin sat down, "First of all, I really care about Obito-kun, you know that right?" Kushina nodded, "Well, the real reason I agreed to the date in the first place is...because I wanted to make Kakashi jealous."

Kushina was lost, "Wait, what?"

Rin raised her hand in defense, "I'm glad he's my boyfriend now, but I was just hoping it get Kakashi to notice me. I know that's horrible, but I found out I really like Obito-kun. After that kiss and the way he stood up for me. I can't believe I didn't notice how great he is before. But I think I need to tell him the truth, I can't let this relationship be built on a lie."

Kushina was taking a lot of info, "Wow, is that so?"

Rin was on the verge of tears, "You must think I'm awful."

Kushina got her some tissues, "Hey, you're young. You're bound to make some mistakes."

Rin wiped her eyes, "I know, but how is Obito-kun gonna feel when he finds out?"

Kushina gave her a gentle smile, "You'd be surprised, I didn't notice Minato-kun until he saved my life and he didn't care about it."

Rin frowned, "But you didn't lie to him."

Kushina gave her a small hug, "Just tell him the truth, if he really cares about you as much as know he does he won't care about any of this."

Rin did her best to collect herself, "Alright, do you mind if I stay here until he gets back."

Kushina went to the kitchen, "Of course, let me get you some tea. I think that might calm your nerves a bit"

* * *

Fugaku sat in his office waiting for another the report on Obito. He had already gotten one from Otuka, and the boy refused. That was unheard of, some families would even send their children to try and seduce an Uchiha so that can be affiliated with them and their standing.

Finally, the man he had following Obito around town for the morning arrived, "Sir, I've followed the subject just as you requested."

Fugaku kept his somber look despite his peeked curiosity, "And you discovered?"

The man looked scared to answer, "Well...he was buying clothing without the Uchiha symbol on it."

Fugaku clenched his fist in rage, "Dismissed."

The man bowed, "Yes sir, sorry I couldn't bring you better news."

Fugaku waited till the man left and then slammed his hands on his desk in anger. This insolent little brat was going to be trouble, he just knew it. He had to think of someway to fix this. However there was no way to fix this without falling into a major pitfall. There must be some way, but what…

* * *

Obito got back from the store a whole new look. It was a little similar to his old look with a few key differences. Of course the Uchiha symbol was gone from all his clothes and he no longer wore goggles. His clothes were still dark blue, only now instead of orange with it he had dark red. It was also much tighter, making him look more muscular. Overall the new clothes made him look much older.

He went inside to find Rin waiting for him, "Rin-chan, did you wait all this time for me?"

Rin grabbed Obito's hand, "Obito-kun, I need to tell you something."

Obito got nervous, "What's wrong, did I do something?"

Rin hugged him, "No, you're wonderful. I'm the one who did something wrong."

Obito looked confused, "What is it? Come on Rin-chan, you can tell me."

Rin looked down and confessed the reason she had agreed to go on the date, Obito listening intently. She told him everything and also had bad she felt, "I'm sorry Obito-kun, if you're angry with me and you don't want to see me anymore I'll…"

Obito started laughing, "Rin-chan, who cares?"

Rin looked up startled, "What?"

Obito held her close, "So you were trying to get Kakashi first, so what? All it took was one date with me to win you over. After all, if you were still after him you wouldn't have told me the truth. I care about you and you care about me. The way I see it, all's well the end well."

Rin was grinning ear to ear. "Oh, you're so great!" She captured his lips and kissed him passionately.

Obito was on cloud nine until Kushina walked in, "I'm glad to see you guys are still together, but would you mind not doing that right in front of me."

Rin blushed heavily and Obito pouted, "Hey, I didn't yell at you and sensei for keeping me awake last night!"

Kushina went pale, "Wait, you don't mean…"

Obito rolled his eyes, "These walls are pretty thing and my room's right next to yours. I get you guys need to have sex and all that, but could you maybe do it when I'm not home. Just ask to leave for awhile. I don't mind leaving, I mind listening to you screaming out sensei's name all night."

Kushina looked mortified, "What all did you hear!?"

Obito shook his head, "Do you really wanna know."

Kushina decided to leave it be, "Alright here's the deal, you guys don't make out around us, and we'll warn you so that you can be out of the here if we decided to get hot and heavy. Deal?"

Obito agreed, "Deal."

Just then Minato walked in, "Hey guys, what are you talking about?"

All of them said at the same time, "Nothing!"

Minato just shrugged and went to get some food, after having to help Sarutobi dealing with the council he really didn't care what was going on.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6, let's keep it moving! Time for Obito to learn about his powers a bit more. I've been studying up on the stages of the Sharingan, so hopefully I managed to do it justice. Everything it can do is a little confusing, but I think I understand how it works. Well I guess we'll have to wait and see. I've already told he'll be figuring it out on his own, so that is makes it easy fixing things if I get something wrong. Thanks for reading and please review!

* * *

Obito couldn't be more excited to get to training today. He had went to get new clothes the day before because it was his day off, also he had a that conversation with Rin. The night before that was the night he activated his Sharingan, so it was the first day he was going to get to train with it. Obito jumped up and ran to the kitchen, intent on scarfing down his breakfast as fast as possible. Minato saw his plan and stopped him, "Don't go too fast now, I need to discuss how we're going to approach your Sharingan training."

Obito was still eager, but knew it was best to listen to his sensei. He sat down across from him at the table, "Okay, what did you have in mind?"

Minato got out a scroll, "I didn't just go to see the Hokage for the council meeting, I went ask him if he remembered anything from his sensei, the First Hokage, if he remembered hearing anything from him about how Madara learned to use his Sharingan. Lucky for us he did."

Obito looked at the scroll, it was pretty old that's for sure, "Are those his notes?"

Minato shook his head, "No, those notes were either destroyed or hidden by Madara. This is a scroll that Madara and the First wrote years ago. It's a process they used to investigate their bloodlines, they saved it so that it could be used later to learn more about bloodlines that may be acquired by Leaf at some point. The Hokage gave me the old scroll and made a new copy, he said he had been meaning to anyway since this one was so old."

Obito was little confused, "Why don't all Uchiha's do this?"

Minato shrugged, "They don't think they need to. According to them all the important things about the Sharingan they know."

Obito opened it up and started to read it. It was pretty interesting to read actually, it was a simple but brilliant process. Obito closed it and handed it back to his sensei, "So when do we start?"

Minato put the scroll back in back in the bag he got it out of, "Once we get to the training ground. You finish eating and then get a shower, I'm gonna gather up the things I need for training today."

Obito took his last bite and rushed into the shower. Minato laughed at him, couldn't fault the boy for his enthusiasm.

* * *

Fugaku stood in front of his fellow Uchiha council members with an agitated look on his face. He had looked at the Obito situation from every angle he could think of, and asked his entire council if they had any ideas. After much deliberation they all came to the same conclusion. There was nothing they could do.

Minato was to close to Obito to allow anything to happen to him without it being brought up with the Hokage. Killing Minato was out of the question as well, as they couldn't kill someone like him and have it go away quietly. They couldn't go after his friends, as again Minato would stop or report them. Last but not least, Obito had made it abundantly clear, he was not going to rejoin the Uchiha clan.

Fugaku was furious, "So what the hell does this mean for us, we can't just have him running around unchecked like this?"

A council member sighed, "In it's most basic form sir...we're screwed. There's no way to take care of the issues that won't lead to more trouble than it's worth. There isn't a thing we can do."

Fugaku was growing angrier by the minute, "So all we can do at this point is just bend over and take it in the ass! You people make me sick. You're all dismissed. Thanks to you fools not thinking before you act, we now have to wait and hope an opportunity to take care of the boy presents itself."

The council nodded nervously and left. Fugaku grabbed a nearby vase and smashed it against the wall, "Morons, no wonder the clan's never risen to power! We've been at the beck and call of the Hokage since this damn village began!"

Mikoto, his wife, walked in carrying a small bundle, "Darling, I realize you're upset but did you have to wake up Itachi screaming like that? I had just gotten him back to sleep."

Fugaku looked at his wife and took the bundle from her, "Ah, little Itachi,. You my son, you will be the one to lead this clan to glory, and I will pave the way for you. Once you become clan head, well by then I'll have all of these fools just ready for you to come in and take the power that the Uchiha clan rightly deserves. Itachi, you're going to do great things for this clan."

Mikoto never did like the way Fugaku talk about Itachi like his fate was already decided, but at least this way he was showing him some kind of affection. In the three months since Itachi had been born this was the only kind of love she had seen the man give him. She would have to take what she could get when came to Fugaku and emotions.

* * *

Obito, for the first time in his life, was the first person to the training ground. He even beat Kakashi there, amazingly enough. He had never been this excited to train before, it was time show those stuck up pricks from his old clan what he could really do.

Kakashi got the training ground and couldn't believe Obito was already there, "Wow, never thought I'd see the day you got here before me. What are se excited about, it must be something if you got here this quickly?"

Obito activated his Sharingan, "Oh, just a new thing I wanna try out."

Kakashi stood there in shock, "What the hell kinda date did you go on?"

Obito laughed, "It's a long story, but all it really boils down to is that Rin-chan's my girlfriend now, and I've got my Sharingan."

Kakashi groaned, "Please don't be all lovey dovey with her around me, I don't think I could take it."

Obito could see Kakashi really wasn't one for public displays of affection, "Fair enough I guess." He paused for a second, "I gotta ask, you're surround by woman you would do anything you ask and you don't do anything about it, are you...well you know...playing for the other team?"

Kakashi shook his head vigorously, "No way dude, I'm straight!"

Obito apologized, "Sorry, but if you're straight how come you never do anything with the girls?"

Kakashi laughed nervously, "Well, they like sending me photos...special photos. It was like my own personal sex ed, most of the girls who send them are actually older than me. Before those pictures I didn't know girls could bend back that far…" he looked like he was daydreaming.

Obito waved his hand in front of his face, "Hello, Kakashi…"

Kakashi shook his head back and went back into reality, "Anyway, I use the photo's to...control myself."

Obito raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean...OH! Sorry, forget I asked."

Kakashi of course agreed, "Good idea."

Minato and Rin arrived at the same time, "Hey Obito-kun, ready to train?"

Obito smirked, "Oh yeah, this is gonna be awesome."

Minato needed to calmed him down, "Obito, we're aren't just going to just rush right into this. I've set up a course for you to go through, and you're going to spare with Kakashi once before yet activate your Sharingan."

Obito remembered the scroll, "Oh right, then I take notes about about how I did and everything I noticed. Then I do the same thing again, only with my Sharingan activated and see what the difference is in the time and what I notice."

Minato nodded, "Right, the first step in understanding your bloodline. Once we understand what it can do and how it does it, using it will be much easier. But before you do that, you need to write down all prior knowledge you have on the Sharingan, it might help us figure something out later."

Obito grabbed a scroll and got to work, "Alright, that makes sense. Really seems like a lot of work just to understand my Sharingan."

Minato shrugged, "You're starting from square one, gotta do what you gotta do. Besides, you'll understand the Sharingan better than anyone since Madara Uchiha."

Obito knew he was right, "Alright, guess this is what I've wanted all these years so I'm not gonna waste it. Let's do this!"

* * *

It took 4 hours to finish everything, with some pretty interesting results. The first time around it took Obito 5 minutes and 35 seconds to finish the course. When he spared against Kakashi it didn't go excellently, although considering Kakashi was already a jonin level fighter he didn't do bad at all. He activated his Sharingan and the second time around on the course Obito thought he had been much slower, but to his surprise it was only 3 minutes and 57 seconds. So why did he think he was slower? In his second spare against Kakashi he did much better, he started to notice a pattern in Kakashi's fighting and was actually able to land a few good hit on him.

Obito wrote it all down, but he still couldn't figure out why he felt so slow on the second time on the course when he did so much better than his first time. He went to his sensei and showed him what he found. Minato thought about it and asked him a question, "Did you have as much trouble with the traps the second time around?"

Obito thought about it, "No, I didn't even trip up on one. The first time I hit like five of them. Wait, that's it, I get it now. I felt slower because my Sharingan made everything around me seem slower."

Minato smiled, "Yup, you hit the nail on the head. Well look into this more tomorrow. You're obviously a little low on chakra after all that. Let's get back home so you can get some rest."

Rin came up to Obito, "I was thinking after you went home and rested a little bit maybe we could properly introduce you to my parents. They don't know you that well yet so I think you should come over for dinner. Is that okay sensei?"

Minato couldn't see why not, "Sure, just come and get him whenever you need to get him."

Obito and Rin said goodbye and Obito went home to get a nap before dinner. He was a little nervous, but at the moment he was too tired to notice.

* * *

Obito heard a knock on the door went to answer the door, it seemed a little early for Rin to be here already. When he opened the door he didn't know what to make of what he saw, "Mom, what the heck are you doing here?"

Tuhia smiled nervously, "I...I wanted to see you. Sorry it took so long, I had to make sure your father wouldn't find out."

Obito was skeptical, "So you're here own your own, not at the request of the Uchiha clan?"

Tuhia realized where he was going, "No, of course not. That's actually one of the reasons I came here. I want you to be careful, the clan can't do anything to you right now but they want stop trying. Keep an eye out sweetie."

Obito scowled, "Oh sure, now that dad's not in front of you you want to come to my rescue. Why didn't you try to help me back when he was beating the crap out of me?"

Tuhia had tears in her eyes, "Because I was scared. Whenever I stood against him the beatings just got worse."

Obito yelled, "What are you talking about, you never stood up for me!"

Tuhia was weeping, "No, because I learned...Obito-kun, you had an older brother."

Obito stopped yelling, "What?"

Tuhia cried into her hands, "When he was just 5 he had gotten into a fight with someone from the Hyuuga clan. He lost and was hurt badly, but rather than help him your father was furious. He screamed at him for losing to a Hyuuga, and he...he started beating him. I tried to stop him but…"

Obito tried to help her, "Mom, it's okay, you didn't do anything."

Tuhia was still crying, "He threw me off and said it was all my fault, that I had given him a weak son. The more I tried to tell him to stop the harder he would hit him. Before long…"

Obito couldn't believe this, "He killed his own son...my big brother."

Tuhia looked in her own world, "I cradle his lifeless body in my arm, my little Wuhiko. They covered up his death, they made so that my son didn't exist. It was like my sweet little boy was never born. I tried so hard to leave him, but the clan wouldn't have it. You were due in just a few months, and I knew they would make sure he got custody. I needed to stay to make sure that you were safe. I'm so sorry for all you went through."

Obito was about to speak, but Tuhia got up, "That's what I came to tell you. Please, stay away from the Uchiha clan. You've managed to get out, don't waste it."

Obito wanted to hear more, but his mother was gone. He noticed a picture she had left on the table. It was boy who looked like him, on the back it said, 'your big brother, age 4.' He wanted to know more, but Rin was due any second. There was nothing he could do at the moment, but he wasn't done with this, not be a long shot.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7, the last one before the mission that Obito originally died at. That's the Kannabi bridge one by the way. Oh, and I got a review from a guest, (apparently those don't show up on the reviews screen) complaining that Obito was an orphan in the manga so I was wrong. It's a fanfic, things are supposed to change. . I actually laughed out loud when I read it. Anyway, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Obito sat across from Rin's parents, her father Guden Nohara and her mother Yutra Nohara. Rin said her mother had remarried when she was 4. To say he was a little out of it at the moment would be an understatement. Between finding out he had a brother who was killed by his father and meeting his girlfriend's parents on whom he needed to make a good impression, his mind was kind of in a scramble.

Guden asked him a question, "So, Rin tells me you live with Minato. Why is that?"

Rin glared at him, "Daddy, I told you not to ask that yet!"

Obito shook his head, "No, it's ok. I wasn't well liked in the Uchiha clan, even by my father. He saw me as too weak and he felt the need to 'toughen me up.' As you can imagine his way of doing that wasn't exactly a good thing."

Guden realized he had touched on a sensitive topic, "I see, my apologizes, I had no idea."

Obito took a bite of the fish and rice on his plate, "It's in the past now. All I can do is get stronger and prove them wrong."

Yutra poured some soy sauce on hers, "But Rin mentioned that you had activate your Sharingan, that doesn't sound weak to me."

Obito nodded, "True, but that was after I left. Once I did they tried their hardest to get me to rejoin the clan. I refused of course."

Guden was surprised at what he was hearing, "How can one of the Leaf's most respect clans get away with something like that?"

Obito remember the special Uchiha history lessons he received at the compound when he was younger, "Back when the village was first formed, it was more of a partnership between the Senju and Uchiha clans. They didn't elect a Hokage and form a proper government until after more clans want to join them. The First Hokage defeated Madara and was named the village leader, however Madara still wanted special privileges for Uchihas sense they were one of the two founding clan. In the end they were made the police force of the village, a power that they still abuse to this day. While they can't hide everything, pretty much anything that happens inside the compound is fair game. As long as they're home, they don't have to follow any law they don't want to."

Guden was both impressed with the boy's knowledge and disgusted by the Uchiha's actions, "Amazing, I never would have guessed they would abuse their power like that."

Obito having grown up in the Uchiha clan knew exactly why they pulled stunts like that, "To be honest, it's kinda stupid how simple the reason they do all this stuff is."

Yutra raised her eyebrow, "What reason is that?"

Obito frowned, "They always talk about the Uchiha's not getting the respect they deserve, and how the Senju clan ruined them. Apparently, they think an Uchiha should have been named as the Second or Third Hokage, they don't really care which. Their lives revolve around staying the strongest clan and gain the control of the village that they say they deserve one day."

Guden took a bite of his food, "I guess you can't please them unless they get everything they want, can you?"

Obito shook his head, "No, you can't. Anyway, enough about those jerks, please tell me about yourselves."

Yutra smiled, the boy was nice, she liked that, "Oh, well like Rin here, I'm a medic ninja. I made jonin at 24, which is rather good for medic. Most medics don't make jonin until their late 20's early 30's because they're not usually as strong in combat situations. Rin's a natural with medical ninjutsu, and she's even proving to be pretty skilled in taijutsu. It's very impressive really."

Guden agreed with his wife, "Oh yes, she's doing extremely well. I'm a genjutsu user myself, and my taijutsu is not bad either. I'm not good with ninjutsu because I was born with relatively small chakra reserves. Although that does make using genjutsu much easier. I think that Rin's got chakra reserves making medic ninjutsu very easy for her."

They continued to talk for another hour, and it was very pleasant. Obito made a great first impression on them, much to his joy. As much as he would have liked to have just gone home and ended the night on that note, he knew he needed to talk to sensei about his brother. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to help, but Obito needed to talk to someone and that really wasn't the time to discuss that big with Rin. It was probably gonna be a long night.

* * *

Obito got home to find Minato and Kushina drinking some tea and discussing something. He wasn't really sure what, but it didn't seem important. He walked in and approached the two, "Um, guys. I just found out something major and I really need to talk about it with someone."

Kushina poured him some tea, "Of course, did something happen at Rin's."

Obito shook his head, "No, nothing like that. It's just...well take a look at this."

He handed them the picture to her, she read the back and looked up at Obito, "Obito-kun, who is this?"

Obito sat down and took a sip of his tea, "Exactly who it say it is, my big brother."

Minato didn't understand, "But you've never mentioned having a big brother."

Obito sighed, "I didn't know until today. My mom came in and...she told me the truth about some things with my father."

Kushina didn't like where this was going, "Obito-kun, what did she tell you?"

Obito told them the entire story, Kushina getting angrier by the second. Before long she crushed her tea cup in her hand out of pure rage, "That's it! I'm not gonna let him keep getting away with all this!"

Minato, who was usually the level headed one, seemed just as angry, "Killing his own son, how the hell could he kill his own son?!"

Obito looked at the ground, "You don't know my father like I do, when she told me I wasn't shocked, just kinda sad. I never even got to meet him."

Kushina did her best to calm herself down and sat next to Obito so she could comfort him, "Are you okay, with all of this I mean?"

Obito wasn't really sure how he felt, "I never really liked my dad, but after this how can I even call him that anymore?"

Minato was pacing, "We need to get this information to the Hokage, he needs to know about this."

Obito stopped him, "No, that won't do any good. My brother's already dead and my mom's begging me to stay as far away from the Uchiha's as possible. We've got no proof but her word, if we go with to the Hokage with this he won't be able to do anything about it. I didn't need you guys to do anything, I just needed to talk to someone."

Kushina was surprised at him, "Are you sure, you don't want him to pay for what he did?"

Obito finished his tea and got up, "All I want to do is put the Uchiha clan behind me. The only two Uchiha's I want to even think about anymore is my mother and my brother. It's been a long day, you mind if I go to bed."

Kushina gave him a small hug, "Alright, if you need to talk about we're right here."

Obito went to bed, he would be training even harder tomorrow. For his mother's sake and his brother's, he had to make getting out of the Uchiha clan mean something.

* * *

Obito woke up and gave a large yawn, he had gotten a good nights sleep and was ready to kick some ass! He figured out a little about his Sharingan yesterday, and now he had a theory he wanted to test. The now familiar smell of breakfast hit his nose and he ran out to the table. Kushina was drinking coffee and smiled when she saw Obito come out. She started making him a plate, "Morning Obito-kun."

Obito thanked her and took the plate. Obito sat down at the table and looked at Kushina, "So, still going crazy cause you can't go on missions."

Kushina pouted, "Yeah, thanks to those hidden Cloud pricks. They won't let me step foot out of this village, especially Minato. He been getting more and more nervous they'll attack if I ever leave the Leaf for even a second."

Minato came out and gave her kiss on the cheek, "God forbid I worry about my wife. Kushina you know I just want you to be safe, and they're getting desperate. Please just sit tight for a little longer, okay?"

Kushina nodded half heartedly, "Fine, but you'd better be home a little more. I'm going nut's here all by myself."

Obito looked at his sensei, "Hey sensei, I think I've got an idea about the Sharingan."

Minato sat down, "And that would be?"

Obito pulled out a scroll, "I was going over everything I remember hearing and everything I learned about the Sharingan yesterday, and I think get why it's so good with genjutsu."

Minato was curious, "Ok, how is that?"

Obito pointed out some notes he made on the scroll, "Rin's dad told me last night that genjutsu is used by linking your chakra with the other person's and manipulating it to confuse them. When he said that, I remember the people back at the compound saying something about seeing chakra in colors when you get more tomeos. I think that since you can see the person's chakra around them, that makes it easier to chain your's to them cause you can actually see it, ya know. And I think that's we the Sharingan helps with chakra control too, cause you can see your chakra when you use it making it easier to tell how much you need. The big thing with the Sharingan seems to be comprehension...did I use the right word there?"

Minato laughed, he was impressed how much the boy had figured out, "Well said, if I had to guess I would say you're right. You go get ready, I'm gonna be down to the training ground late because I have to talk to the Hokage."

Obito put his plate in the sink and headed off to the shower, a little curious what sensei had to talk to the Hokage about.

* * *

Obito got to the training ground and found Rin talking pleasantly to Kakashi...or at least trying to. While Kakashi had gotten better about being a teaming player, he still wasn't really good with just having normal conversations. He just gave short answers that really didn't help to move the conversation forward. Rin, much to her credit, kept trying, "So Kakashi, how is training going?"

Kakashi didn't even look up from the scroll he was reading, "Good."

Rin was getting annoyed, "So, it looks like the cloud might be getting out of the war soon, any thoughts?"

Kakashi still didn't look up, "I think that it's one less thing to worry about."

Rin was ready to scream when Obito walked up, "Come on Rin-chan, at least he's talking to us."

Rin turned around and gave him a small kiss on the lips, "Yeah I guess. My parents really liked you last night, they want you to come over again some time."

Obito nodded, "Sure, sounds like fun. I have some questions for your dad about genjutsu anyway."

The conversation was interrupted when Minato walked up, "Well guys, we've got a mission in three days, and Kakashi here gets to lead it."

That finally got Kakashi to look up, "Really, does that mean…"

Minato smirked, "Yup, if you do well enough you'll be prompted to joinin. You finally showed enough teamwork from me to ask the Hokage for your promotion. This is your shot Kakashi."

Kakashi was psyched, "Awesome, what are we doing?"

Minato gave him a scroll everything you need to know is in there."

Obito smiled as he watched his rival and friend reading the scroll like it was the most important document in existence. He had a good feeling about this mission, he really did.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8, time to see if Obito survives…Ok I already told you he survives but now you find out how. I've been debating how exactly I was gonna pull this off, and I've finally figured it out. It was kind of sad how many times I had to go over the Kannabi bridge thing before I could write this. Even more so since I gave the whole thing a complete overhaul, seriously I changed almost everything. Oh and thanks to YamiChaos27 for pointing out a small error I made in the last chapter. Anyways thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Kakashi may not have looked it, but he was incredibly nervous. He could be a jonin at just 13, even during a time of war that was impressive. He had went over the mission brief 14 times, he'd almost memorized it. They were going to destroy the Kannabi bridge, the hidden Rocks last support line from the hidden Grass. With out the financial support and supplies from the hidden Grass, the hidden Rock would have almost no chance of defeating the hidden Leaf It was a brilliant strategic move.

This was his chance, his chance to redeem the Hatake name. If he could complete this mission and become a jonin at just 13 years old, no one would be able to deny that. Kakashi looked out the window to see morning had come. He gathered his things and went out the door. Today was the big day, and he sure as hell wasn't gonna mess this up.

* * *

Team Minato was waiting by the gate for Obito, silently hoping he wasn't falling into old habits. Just as Rin was getting nervous, Obito appeared with a box under his arm, "Sorry I'm late, Rin-chan said I was supposed to get Kakashi a present and I had to wait a bit for mine to be done."

Rin couldn't believe he actually remembered, "Nice job Obito-kun, I really thought you'd forget."

Kakashi sighed, "I told you I didn't want any presents."

Rin handed him her present "Well too bad, because we got you some."

Kakashi opened it to find new mask, only this one had been clearly been hand made, "Rin, did you make this?"

Rin smiled, "Yup, it's a special kind of material that's designed to be more breathable. I found it at the ninja supply store the other day and I thought it'd be perfect for your mask."

Kakashi pointed to shop, "That one right there?"

They all looked and Rin said, "No, that's not even a store."

They looked back at Kakashi to see he had put the new mask on when they weren't looking, "Thanks for the mask Rin!"

Obito handed him his present, "Well, hope you like it."

Kakashi opened it to find a new kunai, but with something special. They all had the Hatake clan symbol on them, "Wow, these are amazing. Thanks Obito."

Obito smiled, "Good, I figured you'd like them."

Minato looked at Kakashi, "I got you an opportunity to be jonin at 13, so don't go looking at me for a present."

Kakashi put them away, "Alright, do you all know the point of this mission."

They all nodded, "Then lets get moving."

* * *

They had been moving for about 2 hours, but they were still at least 50 miles to go. Kakashi was silently thanking god that nothing had happened so far. He had decided the night before that they would get to the bridge and plant the charges as fast as possible. The less time they were in enemy territory the better. A couple of his summons dogs were staying close to them so that he would know if there were any enemy ninja's nearby.

Kakashi was a little surprised that they hadn't even sensed a single enemy ninja anywhere near them. He figured that at least one ninja would be on their route, but the only thing the dogs told him about where some animals. He knew he should be thankful, but something about it just didn't feel right. Should he ask sensei? No, this was his mission, he needed to prove he could do this on his own.

He turned back to his teammates, "This seems a little too quiet, so keep an eye out. I don't want to get caught in a trap."

Minato smirked at his student, "I was wondering if you'd notice. Good call Kakashi."

Kakashi gave a sigh of relief, looks like he was doing alright after all.

* * *

It had been another 2 hours, and they were less than 25 miles out. Kakashi could see that Rin and Obito were starting to get tired, and to be honest so was he. They had been moving for 4 straight hours. Kakashi didn't like it, but he knew they all needed a break. "Alright people, we're taking a half an hour break. Not a minute more so make it count."

They all nodded, and Minato walked up to Kakashi, "Good call, we want to be out of here quick, but we don't want to be dead on our feet if we meet an enemy.

Kakashi sat down, he was doing well so far. He just hoped them not seeing anyone yet wasn't a bad omen.

* * *

Rin decided to go off and get some water from the river nearby. The boys were busy talking and Kakashi said the dogs hadn't smelled anyone, so she didn't think she really need to tell anyone that she was going. She got to the river and pulled out her canten to get some water. What she didn't know is that at the distance she had gone, the dog's wouldn't be able to smell anyone. Unfortunately for her, someone was watching from the distance. Two hidden Rock shinobi to be specific.

Taiseki, who was using his camouflage jutus, turned to his partner, "Kakko, isn't the one of the Leaf ninjas?"

Kakko nodded, "Yeah, and she's alone. Come on, lets get her and she what she's doing here."

* * *

Kakashi stood up and stretched, "Alright, break's over. Let's get moving."

Obito was looking around, "Guys, I can't find Rin-chan."

Kakashi looked at his dogs nervously, they shook their heads to tell him they couldn't smell her. He looked at Obito, "They dogs can't smell her, do you know where she went?"

Obito shook his head, "No, she must have left when we were talking."

Kakashi didn't like this, "Damn, Rin what hell are you doing?"

Minato looked put his hand on Kakashi's shoulder, "It's your call Kakashi, do we go after her or finish the mission?"

Kakashi was terrified, what the hell was he supposed to go? Obito looked at him, "Come on Kakashi, you can't just abandon her like that!"

Kakashi was frozen, it was a situation like this that killed his father, that made him disgrace. He abandoned the mission and went after his friends instead. Could he do that, just give up his chance to be jonin. He was shaken out of his thoughts when Obito yelled again, "This girl hand made you mask for pete sake, she's one of your only friends! How can you even question this?"

Kakashi felt his mask mumbled in a quiet voice, "Those who break the rules are trash," Obito was about to punch him, but then he said in a louder voice, "But those who abandon their friends are worse than trash. We're going after her!"

Obito jumped in the air, "That's what I'm talking about, can your hounds track her?"

Kakashi nodded, "Yeah, if you have something that has her scent on it."

Obito pulled out a scarf, "She asked me to hold on to this."

Kakashi let his dogs sniff it and saw his sensei looking at him, "Sensei, I know we have a mission,"

Minato stopped him, "Don't worry, I'm with you on this one."

Kakashi's dogs barked, which means they had Rin's scent. They started to follow the dogs, all of them prayed Rin was okay.

* * *

Kakko had been in a cave, working on the girl with his genjutsu for almost half an hour, but to avail. He didn't know how, but this kid was resisting all of it. Most people who were twice as old as her would have given in 10 minutes ago.

Rin scowled at him, "Don't you get it, I'm not telling you anything. My friends are gonna be here soon, and then you're screwed."

Kakko chuckled, "Well see. Now, how about we go over this again. Why were you and your friends coming here?"

The genjutsu activated, and once again Rin found herself fighting to stay strong. Rin opened her mouth, "We came here to...to…"

Kakko leaned in, "Yes,"

Rin finished, "Tell you to go fuck yourself."

Kakko smacked her, "Little bitch, fine. I'm not gonna stop until you tell us so you just fight as long as you want."

Rin thought to herself, 'please guys, hurry up.'

* * *

Taiseki who, was using his camouflage jutsu, saw three people heading close to his and Kakko's location. He was nervous he was made when he saw the dogs, by them seemed focused on someone else's scent, most likely the girls.

The group suddenly stopped, and he did his best to listen to what they were saying.

Kakashi turned to his two teammates, "She's just a few hundred feet ahead. Get ready, she's probably not alone." He turned to his dogs, "How many enemy's to you smell in the area?"

The dogs sniffed in the air, "Two unknowns, you guys, and Rin."

Kakashi nodded, "Good, we outnumber them. Obito, activate your Sharingan and tell me what you see."

Obito did as he was told, "Alright, but I've only got one tomeo." Obito suddenly noticed something, "Kakashi, someones watching us, my Sharingan can see through the genjutsu that he's using."

Kakashi looked where he was gesturing to and threw a kunai. Taiseki raised his own and deflected it, dropping the genjutsu. Obito turned to his friends, "You guys go ahead, I'm the only one who can see through his genjutsu so it makes the most sense for me to fight him. Kakashi," Kakashi looked at him, "You better bring her back safe."

Kakashi and Minato moved forward and Obito turned to Taiseki, "Time to show them just how much stronger I've gotten."

* * *

Kakko was about to beat ever living crap out of this girl. He had had some fighters before, but no one her age had ever fought of this long. "Ok, I'm getting real tired of this. If you don't tell me what I want to know I'm going to,"

Kakashi appeared behind him, "You aren't gonna do jack shit, except for let her go."

Kakko snorted, "What do you think you can take me?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Not for certain, but he can."

Minato appeared on the other side of him, "Give her back or you will be killed."

Kakko scowled, "So this is how it huh? Well why don't I show you a little trick of mine." He made some hand signs, "Rock Lodging Destruction!"

The cave began to collapse around them just as Obito ran in, "What's going on?"

Kakashi was impressed, "Did you beat that guy already."

Obito smirked, "Without that genjutsu he wasn't much of a ninja."

Minato grabbed Rin, "Lets get moving, I can only take one person with my teleportation and Rin's hurt, so you guys are gonna have to get out yourselves."

Obito and Kakashi saw him flash away and started running out, Kakko not far behind them. Kakko began to throw kunai at them, which they easily deflected. As for the falling rocks, Kakashi was easily able to dodge them with his speed and Obito was having an even easier time with his Sharingan. Obito made some quick hand seals and turned to Kakko, "Fire Ball Jutsu."

The cave was becoming too narrow, forcing Kakko to take a moment to make a mud wall to stop it. Obito and Kakashi used that time to get out of the cave, while it collapsed around Kakko.

They were panting heavily, "Nice...move...with the...Fire Ball."

Obito nodded, "Thanks...I figured...he wouldn't have…space to dodge it."

Rin ran up to them, "Are you guys okay?"

Obito hugged, "Yeah, what about you?"

Rin cuddled into him, "I'm just fine thanks to you guys."

Rin leaned up and gave him kiss, causing Kakashi to joke, "What, don't I get one of those?"

Rin smirked, "Take the mask off."

Kakashi laughed, "Well played Rin, well played."

Minato smiled at his team, "Good job guys, lets go finish this. The bridge is 2 and half hours away, after that we had home. Oh, and make Kakashi's promotion office of course."

Kakashi's eyes went wide, "You mean, but I could have cost us the mission if this took too long?"

Minato shrugged, "True, but no good commander just abandoned his men, especially when we can blow up that bridge at anytime. You've earned it Kakashi, I'm proud of you."

Kakashi was grinning ear to ear under his mask, he actually did it. Obito and Rin smiled at him and sensei laughed. This just might have been the best day of Kakashi's life.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9, time for something a little sad. Thank you guys again for all your awesome reviews and for your amazing support. Oh, and as for your guess about who's leading the Akatsuki this time, I'll give you one hint, it's gonna be a girl. This may confuse you in this chapter, but you'll see what I mean in the later chapters. If I get enough reviews, I'll give you another hint. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

After they got back from the Kannabi bridge mission and Kakashi got his promotion, things took kind of a strange turn. Everything got kind of...boring for about 3 months. Nothing new with the Uchiha's, no big missions. Kakashi even remained a part of their team for the time being. Literally nothing major happened for ages. Obito was actually pretty bored.

Obito's training was going well in that time. He had acquired his second tomeo, and learned a lot more about his Sharingan. It helped improve his taijutsu in a big way since his eyes were now able to detect patterns in enemy fighting styles and use them to his advantage. The only two people who could still keep up with him in taijutsu were Guy and Kakashi. His ninjutsu reputare had grown massively. He knew more than 50 different jutsus now, although 30 of them were fire style and none of them were above B rank. Possibly the area he had most improved in was genjutsu. With his second tomeo, it was amazing how quickly he was able to pick it up. Only Kurenai Yuhi could beat him in that area anymore, and he was quickly gaining on her too. But still, nothing really major happened.

He was sure that would change when the Chunin Exams rolled around, but even that was pretty boring. They were held in the Leaf, and thanks to the war the standard had been slightly lowered.

The written portion of the test was actually a test of information gathering in disguise, and thanks to his eye's Obito passed that now problem. Rin did very well too, Obito had no idea she was so good at doing that without being caught.

The survival test was easy, between Obito's raw strength and Rin's knowledge and medical jutsu no one stood a chance. Each team was given one part of a three phrase code, and had to find some way to get all three parts and get back to base. Thanks to Obito's genjutsu, he could just walk while they were in one and ask the code. They were the first team to finish.

Finally, the fighting tournament part of the test was the only part that was actually a challenge. Rin was eliminated in the semifinals by Guy, who was then beaten by Obito in the finals. Guy vowed to train harder because of his failure, despite the fact that he, Obito, Rin, and Asuma had all passed.

Luckily, Team Minato stayed together, as did all of the teams until the war was over. It had been productive three months, but still, a rather boring three months.

* * *

A week after the Chunin Exams, something finally happened. However it was something that all of them wish hadn't happened. It all started when Minato was summoned to the Hokages office one morning. It was four in the morning to be exact, early for even Minato. However, you didn't say no to the Hokage.

Minato entered the office and yawned, "You needed to see me sir."

Sarutobi was looking rather troubled, "Sit down Minato, I've got some bad news."

Minato didn't like his tone, "What is it, trouble with the war?"

Sarutobi sighed, "No, actually it's going quite well. After you destroyed the Kannabi bridge and the Rock was cut off from the grass we managed to get a major leg up on them. The Mist, Rock, and the Cloud are all near defeat. But we're still sending people on missions, including Rin's parents. Minato...Rin's mother and stepfather were both killed in a mission. I got the letter at midnight and they're sending the bodies back today. She's got no other family left, and to be frank I have no idea how to tell her. I was hoping you'd have some advice in that area."

Minato sat down rubbed his hands on his temples, "Damn it. I'm sorry sir, but I've got no idea what to do either. Rin's not going to take this well, her family and this team are the two most important things in the world to her." Minato thought for a second, "Let me tell her, she'll take it better from me. You said she's got no family left so she can stay us. Even when this war is almost over we can't seem to catch a break."

Sarutobi didn't argue, he didn't have the strength left to do much but nood. "Thank you, that's one less thing I have to deal with tomorrow." He paused for a second and looked at the picture of the past Hokages, "How do you think they did it, dealt with all of this? I'm the most tired I've ever been in my life, and yet I can't sleep a wink. How the hell did they manage to keep themselves sane?"

Minato frowned and it was silent for a while, "Sir, I have no idea. Maybe it's just the desire to see everyone you love survive and prosper, or maybe it was them taking solace in the fact that no one else would have to do. All I know is, it's not an easy job, and anyway who takes it either very brave or very crazy...or both."

Sarutobi laughed, "Yes, I supposed I am. You do realize you could very well be in this chair one day don't you?"

Minato smirked, "Like I said, brave or crazy. I think both those words describe me pretty well."

Sarutobi kept chuckling as he walked out the door, Minato was the one person who could always cheer him up.

* * *

Otuka sat in his house, angry mulling over his life over the past few months. Obito, the little traitor, he had made chunin. He had activated his second tomeo too. Now, Otuka was the laughing stock of the Uchiha clan, he had lost all respect from his peers. They blamed him for losing Obito, but how was it his fault? All he did was try to help that boy reach his potential, nothing less nothing more. None of this was on him, Obito was the one who left.

Now he had nothing, no respect from his clan, no son, even his wife wouldn't speak to him. He was worthless, he had nothing that gave his life meaning. What was he supposed to do now? He poured himself another cup of sake and kept drinking. Suddenly he heard a voice "Well, isn't this a sad sight. A washed up man who destroyed his own life. Really I'm not sure why he picked you."

Otuka stood up at the voice he couldn't recognize, "Who said that, who's there?"

A creature appeared out of the ground, it looked like some kind of plant like humanoid, "That would be me, Zetsu's the name. I've come here because I was asked to by my master."

Otuka was ready to strike at any moment, "Who's your master?"

Zetsu frowned, "Oh, now it wouldn't be any fun if I told you. I just came to let you know I'm watching, and if you play your cards right, they're might even be an offer on the table sometime soon. If my master thinks you're worthy anyway. See ya later!"

Otuka tried to stop him, but the Zetsu thing was already gone. What the hell was that about, and what the hell even was he. Otuka decided to go to bed, maybe he had just had one too many cups of sake. Yeah, that must be it.

* * *

Minato sat in the living room with Rin, he had cancelled training and asked her to come over to the house, and slinetlingly thinking over how to tell her. He looked at the bright eyed girl and decided it was probably best to just get this over with and let her work it out herself, "Rin, you know your parents were sent on a mission 3 days ago…"

Rin smiled, "Yeah, they're coming home tomorrow. I can't wait!"

Minato was starting to have a hard time with this, "Rin, we got a letter at midnight. There were some problems on the mission."

Rin was terrified, "Were they hurt, are they okay?"

Minato sighed, "Rin...they didn't make. They're sending the bodies back this morning."

Rin gasp and tears started to form in her eyes, "No..no please. It's a mistake, it has to be. They must be wrong, they…"

Minato put his hand on her shoulder, "Rin, they're sure. I'm sorry, but they're gone. For the time being you can stay with me and Kushina, we've still got plenty of room."

Rin was crying and ran into Obito's room and slammed the door, Obito was out at the moment getting some groceries for Kushina while she slept in for once. Minato was confused, Rin knew that was Obito's room, why did she run in there? It didn't matter, he would let her work this out till Kushina woke up and ask her what to do.

That didn't take long as Rin's crying woke her up. She walked out and looked at Minato, "What's going on, who's crying?"

Minato leaned back in his chair, "Rin, we just found out her parents were killed and I had to tell her."

Kushina went wided eyed, "What, where is she?"

Minato pointed to one of the doors, "She ran into Obito's room for some reason."

Kushina groaned at her husbands confusion, "Of course she ran into Obito's room, she wants him to be there to comfort her."

Minato suddenly realized what she meant, "Oh, well then we'll just send him in there when he gets back."

Kushina rolled her eyes, "Yes, but only after we make sure he doesn't comfort her too much, if you know what I mean."

Minato laughed, "Yeah, good idea."

Kushina sat next to her husband, "It won't be easy for her to get over this, when the Whirlpool was destroyed I cried for weeks."

Minato hugged her, "All we can do is be there for her sweetie."

* * *

Obito got back and put the groceries on the counter. He looked over to find Kushina and his sensei were waiting for him. "Something wrong guys?" He asked.

Kushina nodded, "Obito, sit down. Rin's here and we've got somethings to tell you."

Obito listen to everything they said with peeked curiosity. Before long he had wide and scared eye. "Wow, I can't believe it. That's awful...wait did you day she went into my room?"

Minato put his hand on his shoulder, "Yeah, I think she needs you to comfort her."

Obito suddenly looked serious, "Right, she needs me right now."

Kushina stopped him, "Just one second, make sure that comforting her is all you do. We don't want her starting a new family because she lost the old one."

Obito blushed at that, "Um, right. Just comforting, right."

Minato and Kushina went to their room while Obito knocked on the door of his. The door clicked open and Rin tackled him onto his bed, cuddling him, "What to you so long?"

Obito hugged her back, "How are doing Rin-chan?"

Rin had clearly been crying for quite some time, "My parents are dead, that's how I'm doing."

Obito gave her a small kiss on the head, "I'm sorry, is there anything I can do?"

Rin hugged tighter, "Please, just don't leave today. I know I have to get out of here tomorrow, but today I just want stay in here okay. I just can't go out yet."

Obito was happy to help, "Sure thing, I'll go get us some food later."

Rin looked up at him, "Dango?"

Obito smiled at her, "Yeah, Dango."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10, time for a little Rin and Obito time, some more explanation as to Zetsu being there, and finally little foreshadowing with the Mist. This story is going fantastically, and I really can't thank you guys enough. All of you awesome guys who reviewed and everyone else who's just following the story, you have my endless , enough of the sappy stuff, time for the story. Oh and sorry about the misspelling of dango, that's my bad. To apologize, here's the next clue for the leader of the Atatsuki. It's an Uchiha woman. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Rin didn't leave the room for the entire day, only Obito left to get them some food. Kushina didn't sleep that night to make sure that she could hear them if they tried anything. Much to her joy they did not. The only thing she heard was Rin crying occasionally and Obito comforting her.

It had been a rough night for Rin, she didn't sleep at all because she would have nightmares if she tried to. Kushina told the next morning that it was quite common, she had nightmares herself after the incident in the Whirlpool. Kushina was doing her best use her experience to help Rin, "Trust me sweetie, it gets better. The only thing I can say is try to keep your mind off of it, and it will get better over time."

Rin did her best to smile, "Thanks, do you think you can maybe make some pancakes for breakfast?"

Kushina nodded quickly, "Of course, blueberry, chocolate chip, what kind?"

Rin was glad to have Kushina around, "Chocolate chip please."

Kushina got up enthusiastically, "Chocolate chip pancakes coming up."

Obito hugged his girlfriend, "Want me to invite Kakashi over, that might be helpful?"

Rin thought about then smiled, "Yeah, that sounds nice."

Obito put on some clean clothes and got ready to leave, "Be right back."

Rin watched him leave, extremely thankful all of her friends were around to help her when she needed it.

* * *

Kakashi was about to make breakfast when he heard a knock on the door. He was curious who could be at his door this early in the morning. Opening the door he found Obito standing there, "Hey Kakashi, didn't wake you did I?"

Kakashi shook his head, "No, I was just about to make breakfast. What do need?"

Obito sighed, "Well, first things first. Rin's parents died on a mission a couple nights ago."

Kakashi winced, "Oh man, that's awful. How's she doing?"

Obito looked at the ground, "Not great. She didn't sleep much last night, kept having bad dreams."

Kakashi remembered the awful dreams he had when his father committed suicide. That was not a please nights sleep, "Anything I can do?"

Obito smiled, "Yeah, she wants you to come over and eat breakfast with us. We're having chocolate chip pancakes."

Kakashi seemed to be smiling back under his mask, "No problem, just let me go get some clean clothes on."

* * *

Madara sat in his lair, as usual he didn't move much as he had to keep himself connected to the Gedo statute to survive. Zetsu had just gotten back and given him the news, this Otuka was indeed a broken man. However, for what Madara needed him for that was perfect. Otuka would either become his new puppet, he could use this person to carry out his deeds for him. The only thing he needed was a little molding.

Zetsu wasn't so sure, "Sir, you didn't see the look in this guy's eye's, he's insane. If with your guidance, I think he's going to get himself killed with his antics."

Madara glared at him, "And you have a better idea? This Obito person was my first choice, but with his life taking a drastic turn he's no longer a reasonable option. His father is broken and will do whatever I say. If think you know someone who would be better, please enlighten me."

Zetsu cowered at Madara's tone, "Heh heh, you're right of course, shouldn't have questioned you."

Madara leaned back, "Just remember, I can create thousands more where you came from. I didn't make you for your opinions."

Zetsu gulped and bowed. Note to self, don't piss of Madara!

* * *

Obito and Kakashi got back to see Rin at the table talking to Minato, "Sensei, can we start up on missions soon. I really think that I just need to get mind off things for a while."

Minato nodded, "Yeah, I go and get a B-rank from the Hokage during training today."

Obito and Kakashi sat down and Obito asked, "B-ranked, do you think we're ready for those?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes, "Obito, we've got two jonin and two chunin. At a time like this C-ranks are not something the village wants us to do."

Minato got up and got some plates, "More or less, yes. The Cloud's on the brink of surrendering, the Rock's on its last leg, and the Mist hasn't really been in this war for ages, they've just been sending some sporadic attacks here and there. We need all the help we can get to make sure that we can end this war while we have the chance."

Kushina put a foot high stack of pancakes on the table, "Eat up, you'll need it for training today."

They all thanked Kushina and Kakashi looked at Rin, "Rin, I'm really sorry to hear about your parents, if there's anything I can do just let me know."

Rin gave him a sad smile, "Thanks, but right now I just want to throw myself into my training and try to keep my mind off it."

Kakashi understood that, when his father died all he did was train, "Still, if you need anything just ask."

Rin smiled at him again and got herself some pancakes, whenever she was sad she craved sweets. It was really her one weakness when it came to her health. Obito saw that and took note, it may be useful information for later.

Obito finished his pancakes and got up, "I'm gonna take a shower. I'll try and save some hot water for you guys."

Kushina shrugged, "Use as much as you want, Minato-kun and I can just shower together."

Obito blushed, Kakashi got a small nosebleed, and Rin was laughing hysterically. Kushina leaned over to Minato, "Told you I could get her to laugh."

* * *

Rin was right about one thing, training was helping to keep her minds off everything. She worked on her medical ninjutsu and her taijutsu, she was easily a chunin level fighter but she had long way to go before she was jonin level.

Kakashi continued to work on his Chidori, still to little success. He may have had some improvement with it, but he still couldn't quite get the lighting chakra to focus enough. Still, Kakashi refused to give up. he would die before he would give up on completing the Chidori.

Obito was busy working with his Sharingan, manly his genjutsu and taijutsu. He and Kurenai had been having genjutsu spares for quite some time, and he could almost beat her now. Of course, he still spared against Kakashi a lot too. The two of them's rivalry had gotten even more intense since Obito's Sharingan was activated. It had gotten much friendlier though as well.

Minato was excited to see his students training so hard. He headed off to go and get that B-ranked mission he had talked about.

* * *

A group of ninja watched from the trees, examining all of them carefully. They mulled over who to pick for their task, the boy with blue on wouldn't be a good choice. Several times they heard stories of the Uchiha's Sharingan being able to control tailed beasts, so that would defeat their purpose. Originally they were thinking the girl, however considering how close she was to the Uchiha boy it didn't seem like a good choice. Now the one in the mask, that could be a possibility. He was strong, but they had more than enough people to overwhelm him. Not to mention that it would be a blow to the Leaf to lose such a promising young shinobi. Yes, he would be perfect.

* * *

Minato got back to the training ground with a serious look on his face, making his students very curious. He was holding a scroll in his hand, "Sorry guys, but when I went to the Hokages office I was given an S-rank mission. I can't take you guys me, sorry Rin."

Rin looked a little heartbroken, but nodded just the same, "Ok sensei, I understand."

Minato turned to go back to the house, "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go talk to Kushina. She's not gonna be happy about this."

Obito went up to his girlfriend, "Don't worry Rin-chan, I'll make sure you're kept busy."

Kakashi decided to ease the tension, "Wow, Obito! Didn't know you had it in you! Just don't be too loud or Kushina will notice."

They all laughed, Rin knew she really did have great friends.

* * *

Kakashi walked home that day feeling exhausted. Between sparing with Obito and working on his Chidori, his chakra was wiped out. He was almost at this street when he sensed something in the distance. Was someone following him?

Kakashi looked up at the roof and saw some shadows moving. He got into a fighting stance and yelled, "Hey, I know you're there so come out!"

Before he knew it he was surrounded by 8 Mist Anbu, all of whom were staring right at him. One of them began to speak, "We apologize, but I'm afraid we need to borrow you."

Kakashi didn't like the sound of that, "Borrow me?"

They began to close in, "Yes, borrow. You see, we need you to deliver something to the hidden Leaf for us."

Kakashi pulled out his sword, "Then fill out mission request."

The Anbu snickered, "Oh, but why go through all the trouble. Besides, we specifically chose you. It's an honor really, not many people get to have this much of an influence in a war."

Kakashi was really starting to hate this guy, "What the hell are planning to do?"

He didn't get an answer, instead he got 8 highly trained ninjas bearing down on him

* * *

Obito woke up the next morning and headed to Kakashi's, he had forgotten one of his scrolls at the training ground and Obito was going to return it to him. But when Obito turned to get on to Kakashi's street, he found something very troubling.

Blood everywhere, torn cloth, broken kunai, the clear leftovers of a big fight. Obito scanned the area for some kind of sign of what happened, and found something terrifying. It was one of Kakashi's special kunai with the Hatake symbol on it.

Obito ran to his house and burst inside, Kakashi was no where to be found. Next he ran to the hospital, he wasn't there either. He ran home and started screaming, much to Kushina and Rin's confusion. Once they got him calmed down, he explained the situation.

Kushina looked as scared as Obito, "Think, is there anyway to track him and figure out where he is?"

Obito thought for a second, then remembered something, "He was in a big fight, it would be a while before who ever took him's chakra would die down. It would leave traces that my Sharingan can see."

Kushina nodded, "Get moving, I'm going to go tell the Hokage and see what he can do!"

Obito and Rin got up and grabbed everything that they needed. Kakashi was in major danger here, they had to save him.

* * *

Kakashi woke up in some kind of strange altar room, he was only barely conscious. Why was he here, where was he at all? He could smell some kind of body of water nearby. He suddenly heard a massive roar. Kakashi was liking this less and less by the second, just what were the Mist ninja's planning?


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11, time to see what becomes of Kakashi. This chapter will be a big one, so pay attention. Oh, and no more hints on who the new leader of the Akatsuki is since it will be revealed in the next few chapters. For those of you who've figured it yet, please don't tell the other yet, I want it to be a surprise! Still review though, I love it when you review! Thanks for reading and please review...I'm repeating myself now aren't I? I should stop doing that...now I'm just talking to myself...

* * *

Obito and Rin were running as fast as their legs could manage. His Sharingan was on full blast, the charka traces were starting to get more faint, but there was still more than enough to track them with. They were both dying for a break, but Kakashi's life was at stake here, they couldn't risk even a few seconds.

Rin realized exactly where these tracks were leading them, "Obito-kun, we're about to enter the Water country. They're taking him to the hidden Mist!"

Obito knew that must be true, but that still didn't make sense, "The Mist, why do they want him? Aren't they pretty much out of this war?"

Rin had no idea either, "No clue, it doesn't make sense. They've got nothing to gain from taking Kakashi, they don't even know who he is."

Obito thought about it, "Maybe it wasn't about Kakashi, maybe he was just a victim of chance. The Mist might have been looking for anyone and Kakashi was just there for the taking. That's the only thing that makes sense to me."

Rin figured that sounded right, she couldn't think of any other reason. If it really was the Mist, this might not be easy.

* * *

Kushina screamed at the Hokage, "What do you mean it'll be an hour before you can send a team?"

The Hokage rubbed his temples, "I don't like it either, but that's the earliest I can have a team ready. There's nothing I can do, with this war going the way it is I'm stretched thin as it is. Kushina, I'm sorry."

Kushina ground her teeth. She knew he was doing all he could, but that didn't make it any easier, "Fine, then send me!"

Sarutobi sighed, "You know good and well I can't do that. The moment you leave the village the Cloud will know. Kushina,"

Kushina stopped him, "I know, I know, there's nothing you can do. Just shut up and let be scared, alright!"

Sarutobi puffed on his pipe and closed his eyes, he prayed those kids came back alive.

* * *

Kakashi was stumbling, he felt like he was about to explode. The Mist ninja's watched as the Kakashi did his best to get his bearings, he wasn't even sure what was going on. He remembered that he escaped from the Mist ninja's and now they were chasing. Kakashi thought hard, where was he, what happened last night? Pieces of last night slowly but surely started to come back to him.

_Kakashi was tied to massive poll, they had drugged him before hand. He looked out at the water in front of him, a massive white creature with three tails. It looked like some kind of turtle, it definitely had a shell. A bunch of Mist ninja's surrounded the creature, and one of them walked up to him._

_They ripped off Kakashi shirt, "Hard to put a seal on you if you've got that thing on you."_

_Another was looking over some scrolls, "Are you sure that this seal will break once we put his body under too much stress?"_

_The other one nodded, "Of course, we hand deliver him back to the Leaf, and once he enters we force him to realse the three tails. The Leaf will be destroyed."_

_The ninja looked at him and put a hand to his stomach, while another was on the back of the turtle thing, "Time to begin."_

_Kakashi screamed in pain and soon it all faded to black._

Kakashi remembered everything but how he escaped...wait, no he remembered that too. He used what power he had to activate his Chidori. The Mist ninja's hadn't expected him to have any fight left him, so when he activated his Chidori and shocked the Mist ninja's naturally they jumped away.

He couldn't go to the Leaf, if he did that everyone would die. What the hell was he supposed to do. A voice sounded from above him, "Not a ba escaped, but I'm afraid we'll have to knock you out and bring back to the Leaf now. We've got one last chance in this war, and you aren't going to lose it for us."

Kakashi was about to fire back, when he heard another voice, "Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

A bunch of small fireball erupted from the trees, hitting the ninja square in the chest. The balls exploded in a massive wave of fire. Kakashi gave a sigh of relief and mumbled, "Obito."

Rin landed next to Kakashi, "Are you okay, what'd they do to you?"

Kakashi was barely able to speak, "Tailed...beast...inside…me…"

Rin went wide eyed, "A tailed beast, inside of you. Why?"

Kakashi wasn't feeling well, "Weak...seal...release...in village…"

Rin suddenly understood, "Don't worry Kakashi, we'll get you to sensei and he'll stabilize the seal."

Kakashi shook his head, "No...time…"

Rin screamed at him, "Kakashi, we're not just gonna give up on you."

Obito jumped down, "I think they're backing off a little, how's Kakashi?"

Rin was starting to try and use her medical knowledge to stabilize him, "They sealed a tailed beast in him, they want him to realse it in the Leaf."

Kakashi started to cough, "Rin...it's not...working…"

Rin was crying, "Shut up and let me work!"

Kakashi took something out of his pocket and put in Obito's hand, it was a kunai, "Obito...I need...you...to…"

Obito couldn't believe what Kakashi was asking of him, "Kakashi, no! Just let Rin fix you up you'll be fine."

Kakashi pointed up to the trees, "Obito...look…"

He looked up to a Mist ninja in the tree, to which Obito responded to by throwing a kunai. The Mist ninja jumped away and Obito sent a fireball at one who was off in the distance.

Kakashi put another kunai in his hand, "They...won't...stop...no...time...do it…"

Obito held the kunai tight, "Rin-chan, can you fix him if I give you cover?"

Rin wasn't sure, "There's so much damage, if get's put under much more stress he'll realse the tailed beast."

Kakashi looked at Obito, "Please...I don't...want to...hurt...my friends."

Obito looked down at the ground, "Rin-chan, step back."

Rin was crying, she knew there was no other choice. She put her hands on her chest, "I'm sorry Kakashi."

Obito put the kunai over his chest, "Kakashi…"

Kakashi was smiling under his mask, "I'm glad...you were...my friends...I was...happy...thank you...both...for everything...tell...sensei and Kushina...same thing…"

Obito couldn't listen any more, he plunged the kunai into Kakashi chest and like that it was over. His pulse stopped and his eyes closed.

One of the Mist ninja, "That little prick just killed out secret weapon!"

Obito growled, "He wasn't a wepone he was my friend!"

The Mist ninja scoffed, "I don't care who he was to you, he was wepone to us. And thanks to you he's useless."

Obito looked up and Rin gasped, "Obito-kun your eyes!"

Rin showed Obito his reflection in her headband, his eyes had some kind of strange three pronged shuriken. He had no idea what was happening, but he wasn't going to question it right now. The Mist ninja was getting irritated, "If you're done looking into each other's eyes, I think it's time we finished this."

Obito looked up and him with hard eyes, before he knew it the Mist ninja burst into black some kind of black flames. He screamed as the flame consumed him completely, leaving no trace of him behind. The other Mist ninja's watched in awe, "Our mission over, and I don't know what the fuck he just did! Let's get outta here people!"

Rin looked at her boyfriend to find a small amount of blood leaking from his eyes. She was about to ask him about it when he picked up Kakashi and said in a sad voice, "I don't what all this means, but for now I think we should just get Kakashi's body back home and then figure out what we can."

Rin wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded, all she wanted to do was get back to the village at this point.

* * *

Madara heard the sound of Zetsu approaching and opened his eyes, "What do you want Zetsu, I'm very tired today?"

Zetsu was suddenly very glad he had a good reason for seeing him, "Sir, Obito Uchiha, the boy we were looking at before, has developed the Mangekyo Sharingan."

Now that caught Madara's attention, "How did this occur?"

Zetsu explained that he had been watching the boy's father, but when Obito went chase after his friend he decided to go and see what was happening as Madara wanted tabs kept on Obito as well.

Zetsu finished his story, "Once the Obito killed Kakashi at his request, the eyes of course appeared. After he killed one of Mist ninja with the Amaterasu, they fled out of fear. Sir, what does this mean for us?"

Madara thought for moment, "It means...that we tell his father of this new development."

Zetsu didn't understand, "But why, what do we stand to gain from that?"

Madara gave a dark smile, "I also want you to tell him the secret of the Mangekyo Sharingan, all of it. With a little push, we might improve our soldier even more than I originally hoped."

Zetsu still didn't like the idea of using Otuka, "Sir, I know that you don't think I know what I'm talking about, but this man is not the right choice. He's far too reckless, and he'll never truly understand Mangekyo even if we do make sure he can't go blind from them. I'm telling you, this man is not the right choice. We should keep searching."

Madara was surprised at Zetsu's outburst, "Because you seem so certain, I will take note of your concerns. Thank you."

Zetsu bowed, "Thank you sir, that's all."

Madara watched as his faithful creation left, he had never seen him like that before. It wasn't like him to argue so he must have really felt Otuka was poor choice. Madara would consider other possibilities for his successor for now, but would keep Otuka in mind.

* * *

Kushina stood at the village gates, waiting for either the backup team or Obito and Rin. After what seemed like an eternity, finally she saw two figures heading towards her...wait two, and what were they carrying? No, it couldn't be, oh god no! Kushina ran out to meet them, "What happened?"

Obito place Kakashi's body on the ground, "They were going to use him as weapon...he asked me to...to…"

Kushina was starting to piece together a little bit what happened, but still wasn't sure all of what transpired. As much as she hated it, they needed to go see the Hokage, "Come on, something tells me you're not going to want to explain this twice, and something tells me I'm not going to want to hear this twice."

They all began to walk with tears in their eyes and Kakashi's body in Obito's arms. Obito looked at Kushina, "He wanted me to thank you, he said he was glad you're in his life. He said thanks to all of us he was happy."

Rin was starting to cry again, and Kushina was wounder how they would tell Minato. Obito simply thought about those he had lost, his brother who he never got to know, his mother who he couldn't see at her own request, and now his best friend. He swore that he would make all of their sacrifices mean something, and nothing could stop him.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12, time for the aftermath. Killing off Kakashi was hard for me to do, but in the end I think I made the right choice. I don't have a lot to say this time, so thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Minato couldn't believe his eyes, Kakashi corpse right in front. He had had Obito repeat the story half a dozen times before all of it sunk in. Not only his team, but all of Leaf was heartbroken at the loss. Kakashi was one of their prodigies, truly something amazing. Losing him was something none thought would happen so soon.

The most upset were the Uchiha's, but not because of Kakashi's death. The Mangekyo Sharingan was the stuff of legends, and the fact that Obito wouldn't let them study it or tell them how he activate it was infuriating to them.

Kakashi's funeral was three away, leaving his entire team to prepare as he had no other family. Team Minato was really it's own family now, as none of them had any other blood relatives. Obito left his clan, Kushina's was destroyed, Minato was an orphan, and Rin had no living relatives left. They were there own little family and they would stick together through all of this.

* * *

Rin had been very nervous about Obito's eyes, as was Kushina and Minato when they heard about it, "Obito-kun, I saw your eyes bleed, your aren't' scared about that?"

Minato nodded, "We don't know anything about the Mangekyo Sharingan, we don't even know had you activated it yet. Someone should look it and see if they can figure anything out."

Obito rolled his eyes, "And who do you know that we can trust to do that?"

Minato knew exactly who, "Jiraiya-sensei's in town and Tsunade owes him a favor."

Kushina smiled a bit at Jiraiya's name. She hated the old pervert at first, but once you got to know him he was good guy with a few flaws. After awhile you couldn't help but like the man, "Wait, Tsunade owes Jiraiya a favor and he hasn't tried to use in some perverted way yet?"

Minato scratched the back of his head, "Well he has, but Tsunade said she didn't owe him that much. I'll see if I can't get sensei to get her to take a look at Obito."

Obito had to admit, it was a good idea, "Fine, I guess it's for the best."

Rin was relieved, Obito was gonna get his eye checked out. By the finest medical ninja in the world to boot. The whole team was breathing a little easier at that.

* * *

Jiraiya groaned, "But I was gonna use that favor for something kinky!"

Minato gave him a 'yeah right' look, "Jiraiya-sensei, you know that was never gonna happen. Besides you owe me for getting away from that mob of angry women last month."

Jiraiya looked off into space, "Oh yeah, that was some good research I got that day."

Minato nodded, "So you'll get her?"

Jiraiya sighed, "Fine, but it's probably gonna take more than just the favor to get her here. I'm probably gonna have to pay off some of her gambling debts too."

Minato grinned, "And I thank you for doing it."

Jiraiya scrathed his chin, "Well, lucky for you she's in a gambling town not far from here. I'll have her here the day after the funeral."

Minato winced at the mention of the funeral, "Yeah, that's not gonna be a fun day."

Jiraiya looked sympathetically at his student, "I'm sorry kid, I really don't what to tell ya. I promise I'll be there."

Minato started walking back home, "Thanks, that means a lot."

Jiraiya walked watched his student leave, he didn't envy what Minato was going through.

* * *

The three days to Kakashi's funeral passed by very quickly, everyone found themselves training harder than ever to try and keep their minds off of things. Obito still wouldn't use his Mangekyo Sharingan at the request of his friends, but he did discover that he could activate his normal Sharingan without activating the Mangekyo version.

When the day finally came, everyone dressed in the traditional black attire and headed to the memorial stone. A new spot was dug out for Kakashi, whose coffin was set next to the hole. Rin and Kushina were the first to cry at that sight, Obito and Minato didn't show it but they were fighting back tears as well. The rest of their graduating class was there as well, along with several of Minato's friends who came to support him. Jiraiya put a hand on Minato's shoulder and have him his condolences.

They all chatted quietly until the Hokage appeared. Everyone grew silent and the Hokage cleared his throat, "Hello everyone, if you would sit down we'll begin."

They all did just that and the Hokage sighed, "As always, we will start with some words from his friends. I believe Minato requested to go first."

Minato took a deep breath and stood up. He walked up to the front and looked out at the crowed, "Kakashi Hatake was my student, he had more raw talent than any student I've ever seen. At first he lacked teamwork, but before long we became a true team. Kakashi, Obito, and Rin grew closer everyday, it was my honor to teach the three of them. He was a fantastic ninja and good person, and I'll never forget him."

There were some applause and Obito looked at Rin, "Do you want to go up together?"

Rin wiped her eye and nodded, "Yeah, let's go."

They held hands and walked up in front everyone, Rin spoke first, "When I first met Kakashi I was like every other girl in my class, I thought that he was some dreamy loner who I could save him. Of course I was wrong, he never needed saving to begin with. He just needed someone to show him that, even after his father's death, he wasn't alone. Goodbye Kakashi."

Rin was choked up by the end, so Obito started, "Kakashi was my best friend and my rival. For as long as I can remember I've been competing with him for one thing or another. Looks like he beat me in the race to the grave too. Kakashi's last words were to thank me and the others for making his happy, but he didn't need to thank me. It was my honor, it was the one thing I could do that he couldn't, get him to open up. Thanks Kakashi, for everything."

They all went and sat back down. The day continued as Kakashi was buried, many tears were shed, and the day came to an end. A new name had been added to the memorial stone.

* * *

The day after the funeral, Tsunade came to Minato's to take a look at Obito with her assistant Shizune. She wasn't happy to be back in the Leaf and was trying to get out as soon as possible, "You're Obito?" Obito nodded, "Well then get the hell over here and lets get this over with."

Tsunade pulled some scrolls out of her bag and read them over, then put a hand up to Obito's eye. Obito activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and Tsunade placed her glowing green hand on the eye. After a few moments, she mumbled to herself and wrote something down and gave it scroll to Shizune, "Looks like my grandfather's notes were right."

Obito didn't understand, "Your grandfather's notes?"

Tsunade showed him the scroll she had been reading, "Minato told me that you've been using my grandfather's processes to study your bloodline, well my grandfather took down some notes on the Sharingan when he was doing his own research about Wood Realse."

Obito was curious, "And he found?"

Tsunade was writing in her scroll again, "The Mangekyo Sharingan is incomplete, he noticed Madara started to go blind after he activated his because he didn't know about the effects. I'm not going to go into detail as you wouldn't understand, but all you need to know is the longer you use the Mangekyo Sharingan, the more likely you are to go blind. The regular is just fine, but Mangekyo is more of a curse than advantage."

Obito didn't like the sound of that, "What about the black flames I used?"

Tsunade stopped writing and showed him a spot in the scroll, "Amaterasu, it completely destroys whatever it's used on. One of the Mangekyo's most powerful attacks. I'm gonna guess you used it accidentally by focusing your killer intent on one of the Mist ninja's. When you have your Mangekyo active, you have to be careful with your killer intent as it can set off the Amaterasu."

Obito frowned, "So how did I activate it?"

Tsunade wasn't sure how to say this, "Well, it's obtained by killing someone you have an extreme emotional attachment to. So when you killed Kakashi, it activated."

Rin didn't like the idea of Obito going blind, "Is there anything he can do to avoid going blind?"

Tsunade frowned, "Other than use it as little as possible, my grandfather and Madara theorised that by transferring one set of Mangekyo Sharingan to another, you can avoid going blind altogether due to reasons that, again, are too complicated to go into."

Obito cringed at that, "Sounds like I'll just avoid using it."

Tsunade packed her things, "Great, we all understand what happened. Now if you'll excuse me, Shizune and I need to get going."

Shizune looked less excited, but of course agreed, "Yes Lady Tsunade."

They left the building and Rin turned to her friends, "I'll be right back, I want to ask her something.

They all nodded and Rin ran outside to meet Tsunade. She yelled after her, "Lady Tsunade, hold on!"

Tsunade groaned, "What, what do you want?!"

Rin ran up to her, "Lady Tsunade, I need your help with something."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I figured that much."

Shizune looked at her mentor, "No need to be rude."

Rin looked at Tsunade with determined eyes, "I've lost my parents and one of my closest friends in the same week, from what I understand you had a similar situation with your brother and lover. I don't want to just sit around feeling sorry for myself, I want to get stronger. Lady Tsunade, I need you to be my sensei!"

Tsunade laughed, "You got guts kid, but Shizune's my last student. There's nothing you can say to change my mind."

Rin kept staring, "No."

Tsunade raised her eyebrow, "Excuse me."

Rin wasn't backing down, "I said no. You're going to be my sensei, I'm not losing anyone else. You've gone through a lot, I know you know how much pain losing someone is. There's nothing you can say to change my mind either."

Tsunade frowned, "You wanna bet?"

Rin smirked, "You always lose your bets."

Tsunade couldn't keep a straight face. She smirked right back at the girl, "Well played, I've heard you're a prodigy with medical ninjutsu. Tell you what, if you can learn a medical jutsu of my choice by the end of the week, I'll stay and train you. If you don't, I leave."

Rin shook her hand, "Deal, get ready to find your old place because you're staying here."

Tsunade walked "We'll see Ms. Nohara, we'll see. I'll have a jutsu chosen by tomorrow, she you then."

Shizune was grinning from ear to ear. She ran up to Rin, "I'm rooting for you! If you win this, Lady Tsunade will finally stay in the Leaf again."

Tsunade yelled back to her assistant, "Shizune, let's get moving! I've got booze to drink and money to blow."

Shizune waved goodbye and ran off, "Coming Lady Tsunade!'

Rin did, she had gotten Tsunade to give he a chance. She wasn't going to waste this, she was going to get this jutsu completed and she would get Tsunade to stay. For Obito's sake, for all of her friends sake, she would become one of the greatest medical ninjas the world's ever seen. Her friends would be safe, she would make sure of that!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13, you ready to find out who the leader of the Akatsuki will be? I'm so glad you guys finally get to find out, it's been killing me not telling you. Of course, we'll start with Rin and Tsunade, but the Akatsuki will be shortly after! Hope you guys are excited, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Rin suddenly felt terrified, "You want me to learn what?"

Tsunade grinned, "My super strength technique. I used chakra to do it, therefore it's a jutsu. I already know you're good with medical ninjutsu, now I need to make sure you can fight."

Rin was sweating bullets, "Will you at least teach me how you do that so I practice?"

Tsunade smacked her forehead, "Well yeah, I'm going to be fair after all. It's actually not as difficult as you'd think."

Rin had a hard time believing that, "How so?"

Tsunade went into teacher mode, "Medical ninjutsu is of course focused largely on chakra control. What you do it focus your chakra so that it increases the force in the respective area you intend to use on your opponent, and forms a protective shell around your body so that you don't do large amounts of damage to yourself when striking someone else."

Rin had to admit, it did sound simple, "So why isn't everyone doing this?"

Tsunade shrugged, "First, it takes a lot of chakra control, and second, while actually doing it is easy for someone with your control, using to effective levels is still very hard to learn."

Rin was pretty sure she got the picture. Easy to learn, hard to master, "So, how far do I have to get for me to win the bet?"

Tsunade pointed to a boulder that was a about as tall as she was, and about three times as wide, "Once you can crush that with one punch, you pass."

Rin went pale, what the hell had she gotten herself into?

* * *

Tuhia watched as her husband continued to drown his sorrow in alcohol, mumbling to himself about some traitor. She felt no sympathy for him, he killed her son after all. Naturally, she had been keeping a close eye on her husband to make sure he didn't do anything rash. The may be cruel and insane, but he was still a decent ninja…well when he wasn't drunk off his ass anyway.

Tuhia remember the man she fell in love with, the man who swore they could escape the Uchiha clan. The man who said they could start a family somewhere, no ninjas, no clan, just piece in some small village. That man was dead now, and in his place stood an empty shell that did as the Uchiha clan asked of him when they asked it. She hated that man.

Otuka stood up, and began to wobble to the door, "I need to end this. That boy is my son, and he will not disobey his father. Either he comes home willing, or in a body bag."

Tuhia ran up to him, "Otuka, sit down! You're drunk and going to get yourself killed!"

Otuka turned to her and scowled, "Shut up you bitch! This is your fault anyway. You finally give me a strong son, and he abandoned us. You're worthless, all of this is your fault!"

Tuhia's eye twitched, "Don't you dare say that, I didn't beat my son to death!"

Otuka snorted, "I did what I had to, what you forced my to do!"

At that, Tuhia snapped, "You bastard, how dare you! I loved Wuhiko, I cried for weeks after you killed him!"

Otuka took another swig from his bottle, "Please, you think that I care about how much you cried? The only thing that matters in this world his respect, and once I kill Obito I'll have more than enough of that."

Otuka turned around and Tuhia grabbed a kitchen knife, "You already killed one of my babies, you won't take the other."

Otuka was about to turn around to respond when he felt it. He looked down at where the sharp pain was coming from and saw the tip of a knife and blood pouring down his chest. Blood was coming from his mouth, "You bitch...I'll...ge…"

It wasn't long before Otuka feel to the ground, dead a doornail. Tuhia spit on his corpse, "That's for Wuhiko."

A voice came from behind her, "Well, when I was told to watch Otuka this really wasn't what I expected. Was he your best friend?"

She didn't pay much mind to the strange white plant like creature behind her, "He was my only friends, he didn't let me talk to other's really.

Zetsu saw the three pronged shuriken spinning Tuhia's eyes, Oh, I think I've found something leader-sama's going to like."

page break.

Rin charged at the rock and jumped into the air. First, she filled her first fist with as much chakra as she could manage without losing the amount she needed to protect herself. Then, she surrounded her fist with chakra to keep from breaking the bones in her fist. She gave everything she head and punched the rock directly in the middle. There were several cracks in it, but it didn't actually break.

Rin sighed, the rock was about the same size as the one she had to break to win against Tsunade. She only had three days left until Tsunade left. Dusting herself off, she got up and prepared to go again. No way in hell was she going to lose this bet.

* * *

Tuhia listen to Zetsu's plan, she had to admit, it sounded good on paper. She repeated it to herself, "So, we give my eyes to Obito and make it look like I committed suicide after killing Otuka?"

Zetsu nodded, "Yes, then I steal Obito's eye right out from under them for you so that neither of you go blind. You'll both have the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."

Tuhia still didn't understand that, "You still haven't told me how you're going to get the eyes without raising suspicion."

Zetsu chuckled, "Oh getting them will be easy, and as for making sure that they're not going to look into it I've already got that one figured out. You see, Obito will get your eyes, and in your note you'll specifically say that you don't want his eye to fall into the hands of the Uchiha clan. You'll tell him to leave them in your personal family safe for safe keeping just in case there's ever a reason they are needed, which we will then retrieve after he puts them in there."

Tuhia had to admit, it was a good plan, "And Madara's plan will really work, I can have a world where Wuhiko and Obito would have been raised together?"

Zetsu was right about this girl, she was perfect, "Of course, we'll revive Madara latter. Also, we'll implant you with some of the First Hokages genes so you can form a Rinnegan."

Tuhia raised an eyebrow, "Form a Rinnegan?"

Zetsu smiled, "Yup, when you combine the DNA of the Senju and the Uchiha, the Rinnegan forms. One of your Sharingan will become a Rinnegan, making you even stronger."

Tuhia was all in, "I only have request."

Zetsu shrugged, "And that is?"

Tuhia scowled, "One day, I can come back and destroy this hell hole they call a clan. It needs to be destroyed."

Zetsu couldn't believe this, it was too perfect, "I don't see why not, shall we get started?"

Tuhia was ready, it was time for her to leave this clan and start anew. To build a perfect world for everyone, for her son's especially.

* * *

Tsunade stood in front of Rin, eager to she how she did in the bet, "Alright Rin, let's see how you did. I'm giving you one shoot at this so make it count."

Shizune smiled at Rin, "Good luck Rin-chan!"

Rin looked around, half the village was there. The idea of Tsunade staying in the village was big news. Obito went up to her, "Good luck Rin-chan, I know you can do this."

Jiraiya stood next to Minato, "Looks like Rin might be training with Tsunade from now on."

Minato didn't mind in the least, "She can teach Rin a lot more about medical stuff than I can. If she's willing then I'll happily step aside."

Kushina was standing near them cheering on Rin, the only thing she was really missing was banner, "Go Rin, you've got this!"

Rin thanked them all went over and stood 10 feet from the boulder. Slowly but surely she started running at it. She started closing in on the boulder and focused her chakra, just a few more feet to go. Jumping, she struck it dead center. Cracks began to form, slowly the cracks got bigger and bigger. Everyone held their breath until finally...it crumbled.

The crowed cheered, and Rin jumped for joy. Tsunade shook her head, "Alright, I guess I really can't win a bet. You win, I'll train you. But don't you dare slack off for even a second, this isn't something just anyone gets to do."

Rin couldn't stop smiling, "Of course, thank you so much Lady Tsunade!"

Tsunade waved her off and left, Shizune ran over and hugged Rin, "We're gonna be such great friends, this is so awesome! I'll see you soon, I promise."

Obito couldn't have been happier, "Congrats Rin-chan, you're gonna do awesome with Lady Tsunade."

Rin jumped in his arms and gave him a big kiss, "This amazing, I'm being taught be the greatest medical ninja ever to live!"

Obito was about to respond when an Uchiha walked up to him, "Hey traitor, your parents are dead, mom killed your dad, then killed herself. They're saying she jumped off a cliff. Says she left everything important to you in the family safe, you'll find her note there. We don't really care what's in there, just get it and leave, it's a nice house we could have other's living in. Hurry up about it to."

Obito blinked a few times and said, "Um ok...I'll be over in just a little while. I've just gotta get something to pack everything in. Give me about an hour."

The Uchiha didn't seem to care, "Yeah, yeah. Just clean it out before the end of the day. All that stuff should be ours, but your mother left all her stuff in your name so the Hokage won't let us have it."

Obito was resisting the urge to punch the man, "I get it, you can leave now."

The Uchiha left, looking just as emotionless as when he left. Rin looked at her boyfriend, "You okay?"

Obito was surprisingly calm, "A little sad about my mom, but she always wanted to escape the Uchiha clan. I think it's for the best in the end. I'm gonna head to home to grab some stuff to put whatevers in that safe in."

Rin nodded, "Of course, I'm gonna go grab some stuff from my old house. I'm staying with you guys from now on."

Obito eye's went very wide eyed, "Wow, that's insane. Only 14 and we live together."

Rin giggled, "Relax, it's not like we're by ourselves. Sensei's and Kushina will be there."

Obito gave her kiss goodbye, "Good point, I'll be back soon."

Rin walked away, "See you then!"

* * *

Obito, looking at the family safe, considered his options. He could just take everything out of it, the simple route, but that didn't seem like a good solution. After all another family would be moving in here soon. Yeah, he would just take the safe back home, it was small enough after all. He picked it up, it wasn't too heavy so it wasn't that hard.

* * *

Obito got back and put the combination of the safe. 32-15-27, the same as always. He opened the safe and couldn't believe what he saw inside, it was a set of eyes floating in a jar. Mangekyo Sharingan to be exact. Obito realised what this was, his mother killed his father, an extreme emotional attachment, she had activated the eyes. He had not idea how she knew about the transfer fixing the blindness, but that didn't really matter at this point.

He read the note she left, there wasn't really a lot to it though. Apparently she had heard about the transfer from old Uchiha legends. Wait, he remembered that, all the legends about the Mangekyo Sharingan. There were tons of them floating around in the Uchiha clan, no one knew for sure which ones were true. He kept reading, apparently she wanted him to keep the safe and put his eyes in it. He was only to open it if he absolutely had to, otherwise keep it closed and never go near it. Just as he finished reading, Minato walked in. This was gonna be one hell of story for him.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14, Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan time. Try saying that three times fast! I've gotten well over 10,000 views at this point, and I want to thank all of you guys for making that possible...you can't see it but I'm pointing at you and saying thanks. Anywho, let's get this rodeo started.

* * *

Minato, Kushina, Rin, Tsunade, Shizune, and the Hokage looked at Obito in awe. Rin just kept looking jar in his hands then back at his face, "So your mom killed your dad,"

Obito nodded, "Yup."

Rin kept going, "Took her new found Mangekyo Sharingan out of her head," Obito nodded again, "Yeah, took em out of her own head and jumped off cliff according to her note."

Rin wasn't believe the words that were coming out of her own mouth, "And she wants you to put her eyes in your head so that you don't go blind, while putting your eyes in a safe that we can never open unless things get really bad."

Obito just kept nodding, "That's about the size of it."

Rin looked at her new sensei, "Is this really a good idea, will it actually work?"

Tsunade wasn't nearly as sceptical, "Of course, my grandfathers notes were perfect. The way I see it, she wanted Obito to have these eyes, not to mention they'll make him nearly unstoppable. I say we do it as soon as possible."

Obito looked at his surrogate family, "You guys are sure about this, I'm not making a mistake?"

Minato shook his head, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, I'm all for this." Kushina agreed completely, "It was your mother's last request, it would be an insult not to."

Rin hugged him, "I don't want you to go blind Obito-kun and if these eyes will make you stronger than we should definitely do this."

Obito turned to Tsunade, "Alright then, I'm in! When do we do this?"

Tsunade thought about it for a second, "Give me a couple hours to brush up on a few things, but we shouldn't wait too long. The sooner than in your head the better. I'll be back in 2 hours to do the procedure,well to take you to the hospital so we can do the procedure anyway."

Obito watched Tsunade leave, Rin going after her as this was a good learning opportunity. It was hard to believe just 6 months ago he was the dead last of his graduating class.

* * *

Obito looked around the room and gave a small gulp, there were a lot of...interesting tools in this room. Tsunade saw his look and laughed, "Relaxe gaki, nothing in here is going to be used on you expect for the the knockout gas."

Obito gave a sigh of relief, "Good, half the stuff in here looks like torture devices."

Tsunade grinned, "Half of them are, things can have two uses ya know."

Obito laughed nervously, "haha, hilarious. Why don't you just tell me what you're going to do?"

Rin gave him a small kiss on the cheek, "It's pretty easy, she'll take the eyes out of head, making sure that they're not damaged while she does it. Then, she puts your mother's eyes in, while connecting the proper receivers. Simple."

Obito thought that didn't sound too bad, "Alright, I guess that doesn't sound too crazy. How long will it take?"

Shizune answered that one, "Just under half an hour, so not too long. It can be done in ten, but we want to make sure it's done correctly."

Tsunade handed him the gas mask, "Here, time for a nap. When you wake up you're eyes will feel a little strange at first, but before long it'll be like nothing's changed."

Obito put the mask on, guess it was time. He had faith in Tsunades abilities, it would be over in no time.

* * *

Before he knew it, Obito's eyes started to open. It was pretty weird to be honest, kinda like the first time you put on new glasses. Everything seemed kind of, clearer. Rin walked up to him, "How do you feel?"

Obito blinked a couple times, "A little different, not bad or anything, just kinda strange."

Shizune wrote that down, "Sounds about right. No pain at all?"

Obito didn't feel a thing, "Nope, none. Like I said, just sorta weird."

Shizune liked the sound of that, "Great, that means the surgery went perfectly. You can start training with your new eyes whenever you like. Lady Tsunade should be back with your old eyes in just a second. She's just making sure the eyes will be preserved properly. Even with the way we're preserving them it's still not a sure thing they won't decompose. The only way to preserve them and make sure they're still usable is to put them special chemical. Unfortunately, the chemical will still decompose the eyes slowly over time. But, it's the best we've got."

Tsunade walked in at that moment holding a jar, "Here you go Obito, get this in the family safe asap. We don't want the Uchiha finding out we have any spares lying around."

Obito grabbed it and put it in his coat, "Alright, see you at home Rin-chan. See you later Tsunade-sama, Shizune."

Obito went out the door and Tsunade rubbed her hands together, "Alright Rin, time to officially start your training."

Rin looked like she had stars in her eye, she was actually gonna train with Tsunade Senju, this was amazing!

* * *

Madara looked at the woman across the way with curious eyes, her owns eyes were gone now as they were waiting for Zetsu to retrieve her new ones. This Tuhia girl was of course very surprised to find out Madara was alive, and even more surprised to see what kind of condition he was actually in.

Tuhia decided she would break the awkward silence between the two, "Zetsu said that your plan will make so that I can see Wuhiko again raise him along side Obito. Is that true?"

Madara had to admit, the girl knew about loss. That much he could respect, "Yes, with the Moon Eye plan anything is possible. What makes you think you can complete this?"

Tuhia paused, "Well, first of all I have the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Secondly, I'm completely committed to this plan. When it comes to reuniting my family, nothing will stop me."

Madara gave one of his dark smiles. Zetsu was right, she's perfect.

Zetsu appeared out of the ground as Madara was thinking, "I've got the eyes, took them out of the jar and put them in a new jar just like you said. Odds are, it won't be opened for ages and when they do they'll think the eye's decomposed."

Madara stood up and walked to Zetsu. He put his on the side of his body that didn't have an arm, "You've done well, now I've got one last gift for all of you." Zetsu started to form a black half, "Now, this half will have my very will inside of it. He will help you and is more than capable of transferring the eyes with the equipment around here. When the time is right, you will revive me. Until then, you will pose as my daughter in secret. Everything else you need to know is my notes. Good luck, Tuhia Uchiha."

Tuhia gave a dark smile similar to Madara's, "Actually father, It's Tori now."

White Zetsu chuckled, he had two sides now, "This is gonna be fun!

* * *

Obito and Rin's training started to ramp after the surgery was done. The two of them spent months training like mad.

Rin of course was training hard with her medical ninjutsu, and making major progress. Tsunade said she hadn't seen anyone this naturally talented as a medic since she started training Shizune. It looked like Rin would be jonin level in no time at all.

Obito was growing at a rate that people couldn't believe. Thanks to his Eternal Makeygo Sharingan, all areas of his training were improving in leaps and bounds. He had even managed to beat Kurenai in genjutsu, much to her dismay. She doubled her training after Obito did that, and Guy wasn't exactly happy either, since Obito was now close to him in taijutsu. Granted, Guy would still beat him in a taijutsu only fight hands down, but Obito was still able to give him a run for his money. In ninjutsu, he had simply copied somewhere in the range of 300 different jutsus. He stopped counting at 256, just wasn't really a reason to. Not to mention the fact that he could now use Amaterasu with no side effects at all. At 14 years old almost the whole village was calling for him to be made a jonin...almost.

The Uchiha clan now despised Obito more than ever, as he was accomplishing things none of them could. Fugaku, despite his best efforts, was unable to get Obito to let them study his eyes.

Yet, they had new friends as well. Shizune and Tsunade were quickly add to their little family with open arms. Rin and Shizune were pretty much best friends at this point, hanging out constantly.

Yet, the biggest news of all…the war was over. The Mist surrendered after the Kakashi incident, the Rock surrendered after the loss of Kannabi bridge in exchange for the agreement that neither side would be punished, and cloud surrendered after the death of the Third Raikage. Many people were calling for Sarutobi's retirement, as they felt he had been too lenient with war negotiations. He was more than happy to do just that, as long as the war was over retirement sounded great. The matter of a successor was to be announced in just a few days, and two candidates kept coming up. Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru of the Sannin.

* * *

Minato bowed to the Hokage, he had no idea why he had been called here, most likely he was going to be scolded for something. Sarutobi decided to cut to the chase, "Minato, as you know I'll be retiring in just a few short days."

Minato nodded, "You will be missed. I can't imagine someone replacing you, but I guess Orochimaru will do his best."

Sarutobi shook his head, "Orochimaru will not be the Fourth Hokage, there's too much darkness in his heart."

Minato was confused, "Then who is then, Tsunade?"

Sarutobi rolled his eyes, "For pete sake man, it's you! You're going to be the next Hokage."

Minato couldn't believe this, "Wait, seriously, you want me?"

Sarutobi smiled, "Go tell your family the good news, I'll be moving you guys into the Hokage mansion in just a couple days."

Minato bowed again and ran to the door, "Right, thank you sir! I won't let you down!"

Sarutobi chuckled, "Oh I know Minato, that's why I picked you."

* * *

Minato got back in the house and Kushina said hello to him, "Hey Minato-kun, he didn't yell at you too much did he?"

Minato smirked, "Nope, he actually wanted to have a conversation with me."

Kushina stirred the pot she had on the stove, "About what?"

Minato was grinning, "Hey everyone, got some big news today. You might want to come in here."

Everyone came into the kitchen and Obito looked at his sensei, "What's up?"

Minato had to admit, he was pretty proud of himself, "They've chosen the new Hokage."

Tsunade groaned, "Oh god, who'd they sucker into that job."

Minato pouted, "Hey, they didn't sucker me. I'm honored!"

Kushina ran up and tackled him, "Oh, I can't believe this! You're gonna be the Fourth Hokage!"

Rin was jumping up and down, "Oh, sensei this is amazing."

Obito looked at Shizune, "Man, my sensei's the freaking Hokage. Didn't see that one coming."

Shizune shrugged, "At least they didn't ask Lady Tsunade, I think she might have actually punted the Third right out the window."

Minato stood up, "Well looks like we're all gonna have a lot on plate. With these two training and all."

Kushina was giddy, "And I'm going on missions again, we're all gonna have a ton to do. This is so great!"

Tsunade grumpled, "I kinda wish I had just stayed going from town to town gambling."

On that note, all of them laughed. Looks like things were gonna be a little crazy for awhile.

* * *

Just FYI, there will be a small time skip. Well more specifically, I'll be covering what happens over the 2 year's I'm skipping over through 2 chapters. Just letting ya know.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15, first of the two time skip chapters. I'm doing my best not to make these feel like filler, cause I really hate filler. Mainly because it doesn't move the plot forward, and that's kinda the whole point of reading and writing. Anyway, if you guys feel this is just filler in any way, just tell me. I'm doing some Jiraiya/Tsunade stuff right now. Oh, and I'm very excited because I'll be adding Sai, along with two original characters to the rookie nine, now rookie twelve. One of whom I'm going to give the personality of funny Tobi! This is going to be freaking awesome! Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

After Minato was made Hokage, things really started to go well for the Leaf. The war was over, and it turned out that Minato was some kind of economical guru. He had the Leaf out of debt that comes with war in no time. Minato had the Leaf flying high once again.

Obito and Rin had been made jonin just six months after Minato was promoted. Rin was quickly become one of the Leaf's top med-nins and Obito had actually been placed in a bingo book as 'Mangekyo Menace.'

All was well in the Leaf, things really were going great, and they were only gonna get better.

* * *

Obito walked by the hot springs to find everyone's favorite white haired pervert looking inside, "You know, you're famous enough to just go sleep with one of those women."

Jiraiya didn't even flinch, "True, but I'd rather see all of them first."

Obito sighed, "Why don't you just go get a girlfriend already, you're like 40 something for pete sake."

Jiraiya shrugged, "There aren't any girls that'd take me that I'm interested in."

Obito raised an eyebrow, "So what one are you interested in?"

Jiraiya finally pulled his face away from the hot springs, "The same girl I've always been interested in, and that is none of your business."

Obito rolled his eyes, "Lady Tsunade."

Jiraiya frowned, "How did you…"

Obito raised his hand to stop him, "Don't worry about it. Why don't you just ask her out?"

Jiraiya looked at the ground, "Come on, you know she hates me."

Obito was pretty sure that was wrong, "No, she hates it when you're a pervert. Just don't try to be funny around her."

Jiraiya scratched his head, "You got a better idea?"

Obito smacked his forehead, "For god sake, just be yourself. She hasn't stayed friends with you all these years because you're funny, she stuck with you because you're always there for her."

Jiraiya figured it was worth a try, "Fine, but you got some idea to make her see I'm serious about this?"

Obito was ready to smack him, "Stop over thinking this, just go talk to her!"

* * *

Jiraiya gulped and knocked on the door, he still had no idea what he was gonna say. Tsunade opened the door, "Oh, it's you. Do you need something, or did you just come to tell me about your latest escapade?"

Jiraiya tried to give a genuine smile, "Hey Hime, mind if I come in, I'd really like to talk to you?"

Tsunade let him in, "Of course, something happen? Did you piss of a bunch of the Leaf girls again."

Jiraiya pouted, "Tsunade, I really have something I want to talk to you about."

Tsunade wasn't used to a serious Jiraiya, "Alright, well then don't keep me waiting."

Jiraiya started off simple, "Tsunade, you know I like to make jokes with you…"

Tsunade snorted, "Jokes, I don't know if I'd call those nasty little tidbits jokes."

Jiraiya wasn't off to a good start, "Okay, fair enough. Look, the point is I've made some jokes about wanting you. Well, those weren't all full on jokes…"

Tsunade started rubbing her temples, "If you want to have sex with me, just say it already."

Jiraiya groaned, "This isn't about sex, I'm being serious here."

Tsunade was really lost now, "Jiraiya, what the hell are you trying to say."

Jiraiya looked her dead in the eye, "Tsunade, you're way more than just some friend to me. After Nawaki died and I couldn't help you , it killed me. Then Dan came along, and you were happy again. So I step aside, I wanted you to be happy. After he died, you shut everyone out, so I didn't think that would be a good time either. But, now that you're back in the village…"

Tsunade put her finger to his lip to stop him, "Jiraiya, are you asking me out?"

Jiraiya was very quiet for once in his life. Then he spoke up, "Well, I'm trying to say a little more than that."

Tsunade leaned in close to him, "Jiraiya, coming back to the Leaf has made me realize a few things. One of them is that I want to try and move on from Dan. That's what he would have wanted, even Shizune thinks so. I can't think of anyone better to start over with than you."

She leaned in closer and kissed him, slowly bringing her tongue into his mouth a massaging his tongue with it while sucking on his bottom lip. When they parted Jiraiya looked at her, "Wow, it was that easy? Just tell you the truth?"

Tsunade laughed, "You always did over think things Jiraiya."

Jiraiya picked her up bridal style, "Oh, I'm not gonna be over thinking this one."

Jiraiya brought her to the bedroom, Tsunade laughing like a teenager the whole time.

* * *

Tori looked out at this group that called themselves, The Akatsuki. They're goal was peace, but that didn't interest her. Her interest was in Nagato, the boy who Madara gave his Sharingan to so that it could form the Rinnegan. This boy would be a key part of their plan, with his Rinnegan he was invaluable.

They had sent these poor souls into a death trap created by Hanzo of hidden Rain and Danzo of the hidden Leaf. The leader, Yahiko, was to find one of his closest friends, a girl by the name of Konan, being held at knife point. It was Yahiko's like or Konan's, something that would have Nagato in a very valuable place. He had refused their first offer, but after this he would join them wholeheartedly.

Only one thing remained in the way of this plan, the remaining members of the Akatsuki. They were on their way to warn Yahiko, something Tori and Zetsu could not allow. Before long the group came running near them. This was going to be a bloodbath.

* * *

Shizune and Rin came back looking for Tsunade, their training was supposed to start half an hour ago. It wasn't like Tsunade to be late.

Shizune started calling for her, "Lady Tsunade, hello, Lady Tsunade, you here?"

Rin shrugged, "Maybe she isn't home."

Suddenly she heard a voice from the bedroom, "Oh god, faster you toad sage, faster!

The color drained from the two girls faces. Shizune started mumbling, "I um...I think we should...we should um."

Rin nodded, "Yeah, we should."

The ran out of there as fast as they could manage. They wouldn't soon forget this.

* * *

Kushina tried to contain her laughter, "They heard you two having sex?"

Tsunade shrugged, "Yeah, but they're med-nins, they'll get over it. Gotta say, Jiraiya did pretty good, I could hardly walk straight."

Jiraiya puffed his chest out in pride, "Got that right!"

Minato was happy to see that the two were together, "So, how are you two gonna work this out with your...character traits?"

Jiraiya smirked, "We found a way we could benefit each other with them."

Tsunade giggled, "Yup, Jiraiya still gets to write Icha Icha, and I still gamble with the money he makes. The only stipulations are, he can only do research on me, and I can only gamble as much money as we can stand to lose without going broke."

Kushina just loved this, "You two really are perfect for each other."

Jiraiya gave Tsunade a hug, "I'm not giving up much, I've got the best research subject in the world right here."

Tsunade hugged him back, "And I think I've finally made one bet I can win."

They all smiled, things really were going great in the Leaf.

* * *

Nagato looked at the carnage around him, that vast majority of which he caused. He felt no remorse for it, after all, thanks to them Yahiko was dead. He now had many massive metal poles sticking out of his back, the power that he was feeling was absolutely incredible. Konan looked terrified at everything that had transpired.

Just as Konan was about to ask what the hell was going on, a woman appeared. She had most of her face wrapped in bandages up to where her hair was, which was then tied in a pun with two metal sticks keeping it in place. There were also eyeholes so that she could see, "Do you understand now, the reality of the situation? This world wasn't meant for peace, it's far too cursed for that. Only through my plan can we truly end this world's pain. You will lead bring to life a new Akatsuki, one that will accomplish Yahiko's dream. With your new power, there's nothing that will stand in your way."

Nagato got up, all kindness gone from his eyes, "I will so this world pain, only then can it mature and grow. We must create pain to end pain, and with your help we can do that. As you wish Tori, I shall recreate the Akatsuki, in this new image. Together, we shall save this world from itself."

Tori was smiling under her bandages, all was falling in place.

page break

The hidden Leaf was a buzz with great news, after just three months of dating, Jiraiya and Tsunade were going to get married! The two legendary Sannin being joined in marriage was a massive deal for the village, these were two of the strongest shinobi they ever produced after all.

It almost made them forget the recent truths about the third sannin, Orochimaru. His experiments had come to light, and of course he fled the village. Sarutobi simply couldn't bring himself to kill his old to kill his old student, so when he found the lab he was unable to stop him. In the end Sarutobi was still just to kind hearted.

Things in the Leaf just kept changing, mostly for the better. Minato was loved by almost the entire village, only the old war hawk Danzo still felt Minato was the wrong choice. Danzo had approached Minato several times, insisting that they use the other villages weakness to conquer them before they realized it. Of course, Minato kept telling him he was a fool, and that there was no way in hell he was going to let Danzo get more men killed for no good reason. They were prospering right now, there was no need to go and attack the other villages. The only thing that would lead to is trouble.

The council agreed on this matter, to be honest most of them wanted to be rid of Danzo as well. He was going to get them into serious problems one of these days. He had no respect for other authority, and always thought that the ends justified the means. Sooner or later Danzo was going to get them into some kind of massive blood bath, and they wanted to be rid of him before he could. Problem was, Danzo had too much power and dirt on other council members to ever be free of him. Still, they all had faith in Minato, he was this villages future, and the future looked very bright.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16, the last part of the two chapter timeskip. I can hardly believe this, but my stories averaging over a thousand views a day. Seriously, I can't thank you guys enough for that. I'd have never guessed this story could do this well, it blows the success of my previous story, 'Politics in the Mist', out of the water. It's all my readers that make this worth doing. Thanks, and please review!

* * *

One year had passed since Minato was made Hokage, and things were changing fast. With Tsunade and Jiraiya nowed married, running the village was a piece of cake for Minato. Jiraiya was staying in the Leaf since he had Tsunade now, but his spy network was still up and running. All it took was a few little adjustments and it basically ran itself.

Tsunade ran the hospital, which wasn't as easy as she had thought it'd be. It was ridiculous how much the quality of the medics went down when she left. Luckily, she had gotten things pretty close to up and running again. They had the talent, all they were missing was the proper teaching.

Sarutobi was now giving the education system a complete overhaul. He was the most successful sensei in the Leaf after all. The only thing that really needed to be changed was how everyone had to learn the same thing. What they should be doing, is testing the chakra levels, natural endurance, and various other things and making a special plan based around what the students particular talents were.

Obito and Rin had been getting closer and closer as the days went by. They had even moved on to more...exciting activities. Naturally, they were making sure that Kushina and Minato didn't know about any of this. Rin had told Obito that most of her family was infertile, hence why she didn't have any family left. The odds of Rin getting pregnant were less than 1%, plus they were still using protection. Thanks to that, Obito was much less nervous about it.

Yup, things were in full bloom for the couples of the Leaf. But things were about to change very quickly.

* * *

Two more months passed, and Tsunade came to Jiraiya with some rather big news, "You're what?"

Tsunade was visibly sweating, "Pregnant Jiraiya, I'm pregnant."

Jiraiya wasn't sure how to respond to this, "But, isn't that kind of unlikely at our age?"

Tsunade shrugged, "Unlikely, yes, impossible, no. Jiraiya, are you ok with this?"

Jiraiya was quiet for awhile, then he started to smile, "So, I'm gonna be a dad. Wow, that actually sounds, well, kinda great. I've always wanted kids, just thought that ship had sailed already. What about you, are you ok with this?"

Tsunade was relieved that he was happy, "You know what, I'm feeling pretty much the same way you are. Something about being a mom just feels right to me."

Jiraiya jumped up, "Well in that case, let's go spread the good word. Wonder how sensei's gonna react to this, Minato to. This is really gonna be a shock to them."

Tsunade gave small laugh, "Sensei's gonna love it and as for Minato, well I think he's just gonna be nervous we won't be around to help him as much."

Jiraiya disagreed, "Nah, he's just gonna be trying to keep Kushina from bouncing off the walls."

* * *

Tsunade had everyone gathered around in the Namikaze living room, "Alright people, we've got something major I just found out today."

Kushina raised and eyebrow, "Alright, what?"

Tsunade was smiling, "Oh, just that certain someone is pregnant…"

Rin gasped, "How did you know, I haven't even told Obito yet?"

Tsunade's eyes shot wide open, "I was talking about me, what's going on with you?"

Rin realized she had just outed herself, "Um, well…I'm pregnant…"

The all heard Obito faint and hit the floor and Kushina turned to Rin, "First of all, I can't believe you've been keeping this from us, and secondly, I can't believe you guys didn't use protection!"

Rin laughed nervously, "Well, we actually did. The odds of us actually having kids were only 1 in 1,234,000. We felt those were pretty safe odds."

Kushina looked at Tsunade, "1 in 1,234,000, is that right?"

Tsunade nodded, "Yup, did the math myself."

Minato yelled at that, "Wait, you knew about this and didn't tell."

Tsunade shrugged, "You heard the odds, even I felt that was safe bet. Besides, I didn't actually know they were having sex, I thought she just might have been curious, so I didn't jump to conclusion."

Minato smacked his forehead and sighed, "Well, it's not like this is the end of the world at least. We're here to help the two of them. They're ninja's too I guess, most of us have kids when we're in our teens anyway."

Obito woke up, "Did someone really just say I'm gonna be a dad?"

Rin nodded, "Well, yeah. Please don't faint again, I'm scared enough as it is."

Obito stood up and hugged her, "Don't worry Rin-chan, we're gonna be just fine."

Jiraiya was chuckling, "So, we're gonna have kids the same age. Kinda funny when you think about it. Gotta say though, didn't know Obito would actually be willing. Always seemed to shy to do something like this."

Rin and Obito looked at their feet and blushed. Kushina still wasn't exactly happy, but knew that nothing could be done at this point, "We've got nine months, that'll make you guys parents at 16. For a ninja, that actually isn't that bad. We tend to die pretty young, back in the Whirlpool they would actually encourage us to have kids as soon as possible."

Minato groaned, "As if we all weren't busy enough."

Kushina gave her husband a kiss on the cheek, "Oh please, we all know you hate it when things get boring. I don't know what you'd do with yourself if you didn't have something to do everyday."

Minato thought about it, "Probably visit every ramen stand in the world."

They all feel on the floor laughing, seems like that's how almost all of their conversations ended.

* * *

Tori looked out new members of the Akatsuki from afar, she still didn't want them to know about her just yet. Two new members were now among them. Kakuzu, the nearly immortal king of bounty hunters who had five hearts and Orochimaru, a man seeking the power of complete immortality. Zetsu came up next to her out of the ground, "Hey there, what do you think of the new recruits?"

Tori didn't seem to care, "Simply more pawns to bring us closer to piece. Nothing more, nothing less."

Zetsu frowned a little bit, "I don't know, Kakuzu's kind of fun. As long as you're arent' pissing him off anyway."

Tori still wasn't showing much emotion, "Maybe, but as long as they get their job done I don't really care how fun they are."

Zetsu could see he wasn't getting anywhere with her, so he decided to change the subject, "So, how come you're only letting Pain know the truth about you?"

Tori looked at Zetsu like he was an idiot, "Simple, if they know about me, there's a higher chance that other people will find out about me. I want myself to be kept a complete secret to the world until I absolutely have to come out into the open."

Zetsu still didn't quite get it, but chose to leave it alone, "So, what are you going to do now?"

Tori started to walk away, "I'm going to the Mist. There's a little project there I'd like to complete."

Zetsu waved goodbye, "Alright then, see you soon."

Tori nodded, "Yes, see you soon. Keep an eye on Nagato, him reanimating his old best friend and using him as the leader of the Akatsuki is rather disturbing. The moment we have the chance we need to force him to revive Madara and get rid of him."

Zetsu didn't why they were waiting at all, "Why don't we just make him revive Madara now?"

Tori gave him another, 'really, you're that ignorant' look, "If we revive Madara now, word will get out. Nothing as big as that could be kept a secret. Once word of it got out, we'd never have the peace and quiet we need to launched this plan. Once Pain has outlived his usefulness, then we and only then do we revive Madara."

Zetsu went back into ground, it was best not to question her "If you say so."

* * *

After just two weeks of the big announcement about the babies, another big announcement came out. Kushina was pregnant.

Jiraiya's head was spinning, "So let me get this straight, two weeks after Tsunade and I have out baby, Rin and Obito will have their baby, and two weeks after that Kushina and Minato will have their baby?"

Kushina had to admit, it was a funny situation, "Yeah, kinda crazy."

Minato was still slightly in shock, "Wow, we're all gonna be parents. On the bright side, at least we can all try and figured this out together."

Obito liked the sound of that, "Thank god for that, I don't know if could do this without help."

Kushina gave him a small glare, "Well, if you two had just waited like I said."

Obito was irritated, "Can we just drop this, Rin's already sad that this is the only kid she's ever gonna get to have."

Kushina did feel a little bad about that, they found out that Rin's body would only be able to have one child. She would have to have her tubes tied after because her body wouldn't be able to take another carrying a second child. Another thing that ran in her family.

Luckily Rin wasn't able hear them as she had been in the kitchen getting something to drink. She walked back into the living room, "Hey Tsunade-sensei, have you picked out a name for your kid yet?"

Tsunade shook her head, "No, we were thinking maybe Mito after my grandmother, or maybe Hiruzen if it's a boy, you know after sensei. How about you Rin?"

Obito piped up, "Well, we we're think Kakashi if it's a boy, you know to honor his memory (That's who I'm giving funny Tobi's personality). We don't have a girl name yet."

Jiraiya looked at Minato, "How about you, any choices for names?"

Minato smiled, "Well, actually I was thinking if it's a boy we'd name them after one of the characters in your book."

Tsunade couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth, "What, which one?"

Minato raised his hands in defense, "Don't worry, I'm talking about 'The Tail of Gutsy Ninja.' We were thinking we'd name him Naruto if it's a boy."

Kushina giggled, "Of course, the fact that thats a ramen topping is a bonus for him."

Minato pouted, "Hey, I just happen to think that that's a really good name and really good book."

Kushina smirked, "I know, I'm just teasing."

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, "As if we weren't all like one massive family already."

Once again, they were laughing. That's really why they stuck together in the end, no matter how crazy things got, they could always make each other laugh. No matter what the situation, they only worried about the others in their life. They just kind of fit together. In just nine months they would add three new people to their family...and lose two others.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17, let the births and battles begin. That was one of the strangest sentences I've ever written. Basically, the kids will be born and Kurama, the nine tailed fox/Kyuubi if you didn't know, will attack the hidden Leaf under the control of Tori/Tuhia. The whole thing will probably two chapters, so sit back and relax. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Nine months passed very slowly for the whole group, the men because of the insanity of the women, and the women because of the symptoms that come with pregnancy.

There was the mood swings, for one. Rin went from happy, to angry, back to happy, and then sad in the span of an hour. Kushina had some of the most bizarre cravings any of them had ever seen. She wanted chocolate covered sushi...it took Minato making a restaurant make it especially for her just to get it. Jiraiya got lucky, as the pregnancy made Tsunade very frisky. Everyone was knocking on their door several times before they risked going in. Yes, the couples were going absolutely insane, praying that the babies would be out soon.

They had found out the genders of the babies as well. Tsunade was having a girl, so they were going with Mito after her grandmother. Rin found out she was having a boy, which meant they were going to name him Kakashi in honor of his memory. Finally, Kushina was having a boy, therefore Naruto won out. Tsunade was due in just a few days, which meant things were about to get very interesting.

* * *

Jiraiya was fast asleep when it happened, giving him little time to react. He just sorta felt Tsunade shaking him, "Jiraiya, dammit Jiraiya get up!"

Jiraiya slowly opened his eyes, "What...what time is it."

Tsunade raised her hand to smack him, "That doesn't matter Jiraiya, my water just broke!"

The got him alert, "Wait, seriously?"

This time Tsunade did smack him, "Of course I'm serious. Now get out of that bed before I grab your balls and pull them up over your head."

Jiraiya picked Tsunade up and opened the window, "Lets move!"

* * *

Jiraiya got the hospital and didn't even bother talking to the receptionist, "She's having a baby, don't even try to stop me here. Just get ahold of the Hokage and tell him."

There was no way in hell the receptionist was arguing with two sannin, he just ran out to go get the Hokage.

* * *

Minato was moving as fast as he could, no way he was going to miss the first of the three babies being born. Kushina, Obito, and Rin weren't far behind him. They got to the hospital to find Hiruzen already there, laughing at them, "Little anxious, aren't you?"

Minato's jaw dropped, "How the hell did you get here before us?"

Hiruzen was standing outside the hospital room, "Oh, that's easy. I've been messing around at the hospital for the past week. You'd be shocked what you can get away with around here when you pretend you're an insane guy and use a transformation."

Minato's jaw dropped further, "I thought you were fixing the education system."

Hiruzen shrugged, "I can't have a hobby?"

Kushina sighed, "First, I want to hear about the things you did at a later date, and two, have they had the baby yet?"

Hiruzen grinned, "Blue eyes, white hair, 6 pounds 2 ounces. She's adorable."

Rin squealed,"Oh, let us in already."

Hiruzen opened the door, "Oh, if you insist."

* * *

Tsunade held little Mito in her arms, she was crying just a few minutes ago. She already feel in love with the little girl the moment she laid eyes on her, "Oh, mama's so glad you came out to see her. You're just too cute to stay in my tummy, yes you are. I think daddy wants to see you too."

Jiraiya took the small bundle, "Well yeah, mama hasn't let you hold yet. You got my hair, but I think yours will be straight like your mom's is. I can't believe you're here, daddy didn't think you were ever coming out."

Tsunade scowled, "Neither did I, nine months of waiting. Although I gotta say, I wasn't in labor very long. I don't even think it was an hour."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, "Did you use your medical jutsu to make labor go faster?"

Tsunade giggled, "Maybe. If I can, why wouldn't I?"

Jiraiya couldn't really argue with that, "Fair enough."

Kushina came bursting in, "Where's the baby and when can I hold her?"

Shizune, who was there already as she lived with Tsunade and Jiraiya, shook her head, "Oh no, I get to hold her next. She's basically my little sister."

Jiraiya figured he better hand her over, "Alright Shizune, here you go."

Shizune cooed at the baby, "Oh, how are you? You're just the cutest thing, I could just eat you up…"

The night went on like that for all of them. Another member had been added to their family, and in just two short week, they'd have another.

* * *

Unlike Jiraiya, Obito was eating when he got the news. Nearly choked on his ramen too, "You're in labor! What do we do?"

Rin was already annoyed, "We go to the hospital you idiot!

Rin didn't enjoy explaining this to her husband, yes her husband. In the past nine months, the two had gotten married. Not many knew about this yet, only a select few. Of course Minato, Kushina, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune knew, it'd be nearly impossible to keep it from them after all. They had also told some of her classmates whom they were closer too. Kurenai, Esubi, Guy, Asuma, Genma, and Anko had all attend the wedding. Anko had also vowed to come and see them once the baby was born, they had become very close sense her sensei betrayed the village. Slowly but surely, the young snake mistress was becoming a part of their little dysfunctional family. She had turned down their offer to come and live with all of them, but still remained a big part of their lives.

Obito grabbed Rin got moving, "Sorry, I'm not great under pressure!"

Rin groaned, if that was true this was gonna be a long day.

Minato and Kushina heard the commotion and came running out, "Is it time?"

Rin flinched as she had a small contraction, "Yeah, it's coming!"

Kushina looked at them, "Then what the hell are you wait for? Get going, we'll let everybody know."

Obito picked up Rin bridal style and got moving, "Alright, let's do this!"

* * *

Rin had been in labor for 3 hours, Minato, Kushina, Jiraiya, Shizune, and Anko stood outside the door waiting. They were all doing there best to stay calm.

Just as Kushina was about to say something, some old man came down the hall completely naked screaming, "I like marshmallows!"

One of the orderlies grabbed him, "Sorry about him, this guys been around here the past couple weeks doing this stuff. No one even knows who he is."

The old man looked at him, "Can I go home now?"

The orderly sighed, "No, we don't know where you live. We're going to get dressed and get you some marshmallows."

The old man nodded, then gave quick glance to Minato and winked. Jiraiya watched them walk away and looked at Minato, "That was sensei in disguise wasn't it?"

Minato laughed, "Yeah, should we tell anyone?"

Jiraiya shot back, "Hell no, that's the happiest I've seen him in years! If he's finally taking a break to enjoy himself, I say let him. Besides, it's freaking hilarious."

Tsunade, who had been delivering the baby, walked out, "Kakashi is here!"

Anko ran in, "Dibs on holding him first!"

They all laughed and ran in after here. Obito was on the bed with Rin holding little Kakashi. He had black hair, Obito's eyes, and Rin's face. He looked to be about 7 pounds 1 ounce. Rin was talking to him softly, "Hello Kakashi, oh you've got daddy's eyes don't you? You're so tiny."

Anko and Shizune were jumping up and down, "Oh, look how cute he is!"

Rin looked up, "Alright, who's first?"

Anko didn't even hesitate, "Give him to me!"

Rin couldn't help but laugh at Anko, "Alright, be careful."

Anko cuddle the little baby into her chest, "Oh, you're just too cute! I'm gonna be your favorite aunt. I'm gonna sneak you candy and let you play with my snakes and…"

Guy burst into the room, "Yosh, where is my youthful friends new child?"

Anko turned away like she was protecting Kakashi and Obito turned to Guy, "If you try to put him in a green spandex onesie or start tossing him around, I will kick you out! You can hold him when it's your turn."

Guy looked down after being scolded, "Oh, fine. I will contain my youthfulness for the time being."

The day continued as everyone, even guy, got to hold little Kakashi. Baby number two had been born. Only Naruto remaind. But that birth wouldn't go nearly as smoothly as others had.

* * *

Two more weeks past, causing them to prepare for the big day. Kushina's birth was particularly risking, as she was a jinjuriki. There had been women jinjurikis who had given birth before, the most famous of which was Mito Uzumaki-Senju. When a female jinjuriki gave birth, her seal was greatly weakened. They needed to have several good medical ninja's around, some experienced sealers, and some powerful ninja's to handle the Kyuubi if the worst case scenario were to occur.

It was a big event when a jinjuriki had a child, even more so when it was the Hokages wife. To be honest though, very few people actually knew about Kushina's pregnancy. It was just safer that they didn't, if an enemy heard about it who knew what could happen.

Minato wasn't letting Kushina out of his sight, which was driving her a little insane. She was eagerly awaiting the birth of her son.

* * *

The day had finally come, the whole group had gathered in a cave to await the birth of the last new member of their family. Only Jiraiya and Anko weren't present, as both of them were on missions.

Kushina had been in labor for the past 4 hours, Tsunade had been doing her best to keep Kushina under control while Minato kept an eye on the seal. So far so good. Minato almost missed the sound of baby crying.

Kushina was smiling, "Is that...is that him?"

Minato looked at Tsunade holding the small bundle, "Yeah it is. He's got my hair, but he got your face."

Tsunade was about to hand him to Minato when a new voice entered the room, "A touching moment, a pity I have to ruin it."

They all turned to see some woman with her face covered in bandages standing there. She had the Mangekyo Sharingan spinning in her eyes. Obito screamed at her, "Who are you, how'd you get in here?"

The woman stepped forward, "Don't worry about that, I just need to take Kushina for a while."

Minato growled, "And what the hell makes you think I'll let you do that?"

She laughed, "Oh, I think that you need to be more worried about the explosive tags surrounding the room."

They looked around to see all the guards were dead, and indeed explosive tags covered the room, "When did you…"

The woman shrugged, "You really need to work on you genjutsu skills. You were so focused on Kushina that you didn't even notice when I placed it on all of you."

Minato was furious, "You bitch, I don't have time to get everyone out!"

The woman made them an offer, "If you give me Kushina, they I won't activate all of these tags killing each and every one of you. Don't be too nervous, I can only activate them within a five mile range. You can chase after me once I get out of it."

Minato didn't have any other choice, "I'll get you for this."

The woman walked over to Kushina and used a pressure point to knock her out, "I'd say you'll see her soon, but I just can't promise that."

Minato watched and the woman grabbed Kushina and ran out of the cave. He didn't know what she was after, but he knew that it couldn't be good.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18, time for the battle with the Kyuubi. It hurts to have to kill off Kushina and Minato, but it has to be done. I've been been doing my best to make this chapter sad because...I don't know, it's supposed to be sad. If I get enough reviews, I'll tell you what the pairings are in the next chapter. Well, as always, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Minato was moving at a speed he had never gone in his life. He had Naruto back home with the flash seal that he kept there. Kushina was with whoever the hell that woman was, doing who knows what. She must be after the Kyuubi, it didn't take a genius to figure that out. The questions were, how did she know where Kushina was at, what did she want with the Kyuubi, and where was she taking Kushina now?

Obito, Rin, and Tsunade weren't far behind him. Obito called up to him, "Sensei, how do you know where you're going?"

Minato didn't bother to look back, "The Kyuubi has very distinctive chakra, I've been around Kushina long enough that I can actually sense it. I'm just following the trail she left behind."

Rin couldn't help but be reminded of story she'd heard before, "This is just like when you saved her from the Cloud ninja before."

Minato just kept moving forward, "Yeah, I guess. I'm not really concerned about what happened before Rin, I'm just worried about what's gonna happen this time."

Tsunade couldn't help but feel sorry for him, "It'll be okay, I'm sure she'll be just fine."

Minato frowned, "Usually I'd say you're right, but something just doesn't seem right this time. I've got a bad feeling about this."

* * *

Kushina found herself tied to a massive boulder, her shirt torn so that it showed her abdomen. She looked around, the women whose face was wrapped in bandages was standing nearby, looking out at the village before her. Kushina growled at the woman, "What do you think releasing the Kyuubi will accomplish? Even if I die, they'll just seal inside of someone else and the Leaf's the strongest it's been in years. If you're from another village, this isn't going to do you any good."

The woman sighed, "I'm not trying to hurt the Leaf, I'm simply trying to acquire the Kyuubi. Even if I fail to accomplish this, at least I will be taking out several powerful ninja's as a consolation prize."

Kushina raised an eyebrow, "So where are you from, the Cloud, is that why you're trying to get the Kyuubi?"

She turned to Kushina, "Please, I'm affiliated with no village. I seek the Kyuubi for my own reasons. With it's assistance, I will bring peace to this cursed world. You should be willing to help me, you saw the pain of war first hand. You watched the Whirlpool be destroyed in one cruel blow."

Kushina scowled, "What I saw was horrible, but killing more people want do anyone any good. We need to try and find peace by making friends with our enemies, by trying to find some kind of common ground."

The woman put her hand on Kushina's stomach, "Foolish words from and idealist heart. Goodbye Kushina, may you find peace in the afterlife."

Kushina started to scream as felt her seal weakening. Things only seemed to be getting worse.

* * *

Minato was nearing Kushina's location, he heard the scream all the way through the forest. Though the others didn't know it was possible, Minato started to go even faster. He found a river and saw Kushina tied to a nearby boulder. She was screaming and red chakra was flowing out of her like a tidal wave. The woman with the bandages on her face was standing next to her, hand pressed to Kushina's stomach.

Minato threw one of his kunai at her, "Get away from her you bitch!" (No that wasn't an aliens reference.)

The woman was suddenly protected by what looked like a giant light blue rib cage. The kunai just bounced off of it, much to everyones surprise. Rin turned to Obito, "Can you do that?"

Obito wasn't sure, "Um, maybe…"

The woman chuckled darkly, "He has no idea the full capability of the Mangekyo Sharingan. If you haven't even discovered the Susanoo yet, you're ages behind me."

Minato was tired of that laugh of hers, "I don't care what kind of powers you have, I'm gonna kick the shit out of you for hurting my wife."

The woman lowered her hand from Kushina's stomach, "Now now, the pains almost over with. Now it's time to play with the fox!"

Kushina let out one more ear piercing scream and the seal broke. The Kyuubi released itself in all of it's glory. Kushina collapsed and Minato ran over to her, "You guys hold off the Kyuubi! I'll be back in just a second, I'm taking Kushina back to be with Naruto."

They all nodded and Minato flashed away. This was going to be one hell of a fight.

page break

Kushina woke up lying next to Naruto. Minato was putting his Hokage's coat on, "Sweetie, what happened? Is everyone alright?"

Minato shook his head, "Probably not. The Kyuubi's making his way to the Leaf as we speak. I'll be right back sweetie, I've got to go take care of this."

Kushina was crying, "Minato-kun, what are you gonna do? No one can kill the Kyuubi!"

Minato sighed, "I'll have to restrain it and seal it inside of someone...I think...I think it'll have to be Naruto."

Kushina was shocked, "But Minato-kun, you can't! There's gotta be another way!"

Minato got ready to flash back, "No, there isn't. You know it has to be a newborn and you know what I have to do to seal it away."

Kushina couldn't believe this, "You mean you're going to use the Reaper Death Seal?"

Minato gave her sad nod and flashed away. Leaving Kushina only Naruto to cuddle in comfort.

* * *

The Kyuubi was giving the Leaf shinobi all they could handle. He had gotten close the village, but hadn't actually entered it yet. That's not to say he wasn't doing damage to it, no he was doing plenty of that. It definitely wasn't good, but it would have been considerably worse is Tsunade hadn't been there. She had used her super strength to keep the Kyuubi out of the Leaf, something that was a major life saver. Literally, the Kyuubi not actually being able to get into the village had cut down the damage and lives lost by at least half.

A giant rumble was heard, and Minato appeared riding Gamabunta, the boss of the toad contract. Minato looked down at him, "Sorry to call you like this, but my son's life's on the line. I need you to help these guys force back the Kyuubi while go find whoever the woman that caused this."

Gamabunta groaned, "Dammit gaki! You're gonna owe me for this one!"

Minato gave a soft laugh, "Afraid not old friend. This is the last time you and I will be fighting together. I'm gonna have to seal the big fox here after all."

Gamabunta suddenly understood just how serious this was, "I'm sorry to hear that. You're the only one so far I've actually liked. It's been an honor Minato."

Minato was surprised, Gamabunta had never called him by his name before, "Same to you Gamabunta. My only regret is not being able to see Naruto grow up."

Gamabunta looked up at him, "Really, you name your son after a ramen topping?"

Minato decided to let it be, "Yeah, let's go with that. Wish me luck."

Gamabunta looked over at the fox and unsheathed his sword, "Alright you overgrown plushy, lets do this!"

* * *

It didn't take long for Minato to find the woman, she had been watching all of it unfold on a cliff close to the village. When Minato flashed behind her she sighed, "It's unfortunate you know, you're the only one I'm not sure I can defeat."

Minato ground his teeth, "I may not live through tonight, but I'm gonna make sure you don't walk scot free either! My son, sensei's daughter, Obito's son, I'm gonna do whatever I can to make this a safer place for them."

The woman paused, "Obito's son?"

Minato didn't answer, he just charged at her with a Rasengan in his hand. The woman pulled the two needles out of the bun in her hair and activated her Susanoo ribs. The Rasengan hit it and left with cracks all over. The woman jumped back and made one of her needles to make a wip out of her Susanoo with it as the base. Then did the same with the other.

She swung one of the whips at him and Minato dodged it. Minato was behind her before she knew it, another Rasengan in his palm which he shoved into her back. Naturally, she had no time to react. She was sent flying, after she was done she sent Minato a threatening glare, "Oh, it's on now!"

* * *

The Kyuubi wasn't doing well, they were forcing him back big time. Between Tsunade and the Third, not to mention the army behind them, the Kyuubi just couldn't compare. They couldn't help but wonder how Minato was doing with his fight. What they didn't know, they were forcing the Kyuubi right to his location. Obito saw him fighting the woman out of one eye, he was doing fairly well. He could hear hear her yelling in the distance, "If this is the way you want it, fine. You've forced me to release my hold on the Kyuubi so I can escape!"

She released from her control, causing it to roar horribly. The woman turned and ran off, leaving Minato to help them handle the fox. He turned to the Leaf ninja, "I'll be right back, I've just got to go grab something!"

He flashed away, silently hoping his son could forgive him for this one day.

* * *

Minato found Kushina holding on to Naruto for dear life, whispering in his ear, "It's okay Naruto, it'll all be okay."

Minato looked at the two of them, trying to take as much of the sight in as possible. This would be the only time he could see it after all, "Kushina-chan, it's time."

Kushina stood up, still holding tightly to Naruto, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Naruto. I never wanted this for you."

Minato grabbed his son, "I think you should stay here…"

Kushina wasn't having it, "No, I need to be there for Naruto when you...when you…"

Minato couldn't stand to hear it, "Fine, but just stay out of the line of fire."

He grabbed ahold of his wife and used his Yellow Flash. The time had finally come.

* * *

Minato got back to find the Kyuubi pinned down by Gamabunta, Sarutobi, Tsunade and several other Leaf ninja. Though he was struggling, it was clear he wasn't going anywhere. Minato, still holding on to Naruto, walked over the Kyuubi. He sat Naruto on the ground and raised his hands to start making the necessary seals.

The Kyuubi gave one last thrash, sending his claw through Minato just inches from Naruto face. Minato couldn't believe his body alone was able to stop it. He soon found that it wasn't. Kushina had jumped in front of Naruto, just barely keeping the claw from hitting him. Kushina looked at Minato and gave him a sad smile, "Sorry, guess I just couldn't let you make this sacrifice by yourself."

Minato raised his hands again and made the seals, before long he could feel the seal working inside him, "I'm sealing the Yin half of the chakra inside myself. It's safer for Naruto that way."

Kushina gave one last look at her son, "It'll be okay sweetie, you'll have our friends here for you. You'll have your family to take care of you. Just don't take too much after Jiraiya."

Minato laughed for the last time in his life. As the sealing finished, the Kyuubi vanished into the young Naruto. The two of them collapsed on the ground. The village was safe, but it cost them their most powerful ninja. All of the ninja's looked at the Third for guidance, no one was sure what to do at this point.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19, time to see what becomes of our favorite knuckled head ninja...in baby form. I've been on roll the past few days with all of my writing, I'm just pumping out chapter after chapter likes it's nothing. There will be of kind of time skip coming up, but it's only kind of a time skip. While I do want to cover what happens while they're raising the kids, I also don't want to spend 20 freaking chapters writing it. I'll be cover 2 or 3 years every chapter after this one. Also the pairings announcement will be at the end of the chapter. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Jiraiya now knew exactly what his student went through when Kakashi had told him and Anko the whole story when they got back from their missions. It just didn't seem possible, Minato was dead, Kushina too. The Kyuubi sealed inside their poor son. He wasn't even sure how to react to all of this. Finally he said, "So, what exactly is gonna happen with Naruto? I know we're obviously we're all gonna take care of him, but what about the Kyuubi and the council? Not to mention whether or not we should tell people who his parents are."

Obito didn't understand that last part, "Why wouldn't we tell people he's sensei's son?"

Jiraiya was honestly surprised he had to explain this, it seemed pretty obvious to him, "Minato had a lot of enemies, if they find out about Naruto it could put him at risk. Especially from the hidden Rock."

Obito wasn't accepting that for a second. Naruto deserved to have his real last name, "Then they'll have to go through us! Naruto's gonna have a lot of hate coming down on him because of what he holds, if people know he's the son of the Fourth Hokage that could take a lot of the burden off of him."

Tsunade had to admit, that made a lot of sense, "Kid's got a point. It's not like he's not surround by powerful ninja. I'd like to see someone get through all of us. It just wouldn't be worth it, even the Rock would know that."

Rin was quick to defend him too, "Yeah, and as for the council, we've got the Third on our side plus two of the legendary sannin. They won't have a choice but to let him stay with us."

Jiraiya winced slightly at hearing about his sensei be forced back into his old position. He knew the old didn't want to be Hokage again, but he also knew he wouldn't let anyone else do it at a time as sensitive as this. The next order of business was the living arguments. Tsunade already had that figured out in her head, "I want all of us to move into the Senju estates. It'll make everything easier, especially on Naruto, if we're all in the same place. You too Anko, we couldn't convince you before, but I'm not taking no for an answer this time."

Anko shrugged, "That's fine, my apartment building was one of the few places that got destroyed anyways."

Sarutobi knocked on the door and walked into the room, "The council's ready. Let's get this over with. Do you all have everything figured out for this little guy?"

Naruto gave a small cry and Tsunade picked him up. Jiraiya was holding Mito and Rin was holding Kakashi, they turned to him and said, "Yeah, we know exactly what we're going to do."

Sarutobi nodded and started to walk out of the room. Obito leaned over to him and said, "You can still screw with people at the hospital with Shadow Clones."

Sarutobi laughed, "Oh, I intend to!"

* * *

Zetsu hadn't seen Tori this quite in long time. Usually she at least had orders of some kind for him. He wasn't sure whether he should press the issue or not. In the end, he decided to go up and see what was wrong, "Something up Tori, you seem kind of out of it?"

Tori didn't look at him, "Obito has son…"

Zetsu nodded, "Yeah, what's it matter? It's just another person to be with you in the Infinite Tsukuyomi."

Tori shook herself back into reality, "Right, sorry about that. Just in a little bit of shock after hearing that."

Zetsu was glad she wasn't going soft on them, "Alright then, I'm heading back to base. The new guys, Kisame and Sasori, are eager to get started."

Tori watched as he left, a small part of her still wondering about her new grandson.

* * *

The council wasn't sure if they had just heard was right. One of the civilian councilmen repeated to himself, "The fox boy is the son of the Fourth Hokage?"

Tsunade ground her teeth, "Don't call him fox boy."

The council seemed to torn at the news. Half of them seemed to hate the boy, despite the fact that nothing that had happened was his fault, and the other half seemed eager at idea of the Fourth Hokage having a son. Danzo just saw it as a chance to obtain himself a new weapon.

He turned to all of the council, "I believe that I have a solution that would please everyone. Allow me to train the young boy and turn him into the ultimate wepone for the Leaf by teaching how to control the fox's chakra. If you allow me to do this, then it would settle the nerves about the boy losing control."

Jiraiya sent a wave of killer intent at the old war hawk, "No, I'll be training Naruto in the art of toad summoning and will be helping him control the Kyuubi's chakra. Tsunade already said she wanted Mito to be a slug summoner anyway."

Sarutobi couldn't see how anyone could argue with Jiraiya, "I agree with my old student, it would only make sense for him to be trained by his father's sensei. Now, I think that all of us should go home and get some rest. It has been a long day and we've discussed everything we needed to. Good night every one."

The council didn't quite agree that everything was settled, but decided not to argue. Everyone started to leave and Anko ran up to Rin and Obito, "Mito's gonna be a slug summoner and Naruto's gonna summon the toads. That's means I can teach Kakashi how to summon snakes right?"

Rin and Obito weren't sure, Rin looked at her, "I don't I know Anko…"

Anko gave them the puppy dog eyes and pouted cutely, "Please!"

Rin looked and Obito who laughed and nodded, "Alright Anko, Kakashi can summon snakes."

The left the council room with Anko bouncing up and down in victory.

* * *

Danzo was beyond angry, beyond furious, he wasn't sure you could even gauge how angry he was! Sarutobi, that damn fool, had cost him yet another weapon. Thanks to his students taking the jinjuriki in, there was no way he could possibly take control of him. He'd already lost Orochimaru, whom he was counting on to become Hokage, and now he couldn't have the fox brat either. He used his good hand to smash his desk, "Son of bitch!"

This wasn't over, one of these days he would see to it that the hidden Leaf could crush all. Oh, you could count on that! No one, not even his old rival, would stand in his way!

* * *

The Senju estates overwent a massive overhaul. All of main bedrooms stayed on the ground floor, as they had the kids nursery there and none of them wanted to be too far from it. The nursery was the second biggest room in the house, as all three of the kids were sleeping in it.

Naruto's crib was red with little toads on it. Jiraiya had also had a carving of place on one of legs of the crib, much to the other's confusion. The way Jiraiya saw it, he was stuck with the fox, might was well embrace it.

Mito's crib was white with Senju clan symbol on it, along with a few slugs. Tsunade absolutely loved that her little girl was going to be slug summoner, just like her. Now the only thing she needed to do was she if she wanted to be a med-nin when she got old enough.

Kakashi's crib was blue, however was devoid of the Uchiha clan symbol. Naturally, Obito intended for his son to get a very different upbringing than he had. Anko made sure the crib wasn't boring though, as she personally craved all the legs to look like snakes. She was very excited to have someone other that her summoning snakes, it might bring some of the honor Orochimaru took from them back.

Tsunade and Jiraiya had taken the master bedroom, while Obito and Rin had taken a slightly smaller on near the nursery. Anko took the bedroom near the kitchen, according to her she was a midnight snacker and this made it easier.

Overall, the family was quite comfortable with their new arrangements. Although, all of them had a lot to do. A new threat had emerged, and their training was going to be going non stop!...or whenever the babies were fed and happy anyways.

* * *

Obito had been studying his Sharingan more than he ever had before. After seeing what that woman could do with her's, it was pretty clear he'd only scratched the tip of the iceberg. He started by trying to reverse engineer the jutsu, to which he had no success. Next, he looked for every piece of information he could get on the Susanoo, which there wasn't any. Finally, he just started to mess around with his Mangekyo Sharingan until something happened, which it actually did. However, it wasn't the Susanoo.

Obito was focusing on an one of his targets, and focusing hard. He was trying to use the Amaterasu to it's full power and see if it would change what would happen. However, without realizing it, he focused to the point that it actually started to...phase, was that the right word. The object got blurry and before he knew it, the object was just gone. Absorbed by some kind of...vortex he guessed. He wasn't sure what the hell he'd just done, but he knew this was gonna need some more exploration. Well, now wasn't the time, he was out of chakra. Obito gathered his things and went home.

* * *

THe village had a strange reaction to little Naruto being born. Although most of them welcomed him because he was the son of the Fourth Hokage and they had faith in his sealing abilities, there was still a large group of people who wanted Naruto to be killed so that the fox couldn't be released again. They had actually gotten flowers and death threats in the same day. It was nothing to be really concerned about, after all several of the Leaf's strongest ninja's were protecting him. There were already a few small threats from the Rock, but just as they had predicted, the Rock just wasn't ready to go into another war, especially over one child who had the Hokage and the legendary sannin watching for them. Naruto was truly safe for the time being. The boy had one hell of future ahead of him, and more than enough people to help him get here. Things were looking well for the Leaf, the new generation was here. All of the main clans had their heirs now, the Hyuuga's, the Inuzuka's, the Akimichi's, all of them. Yes, things were looking great for the Leaf indeed.

* * *

Here are the pairings, hope you like them.

NarutoxHinata

AnkoxIruka

MitoxKiba

KakashixIno (The new Kakashi obviously)

ShikamruxTemari

SakuraxGaara

TentenxKankuro


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20, this one will cover up to the time Naruto and the other kids are 2 years old. I've been debating how exactly to write these chapters so that they're aren't boring, and I think I've figured it out. To put it simply, it'll be a mix of the adults training, the parents raising their kids, and of course a little bit of the Akatsuki on the side. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Obito was studying his new jutsu with extreme intensity. It was called the Kaumi, and the more he learned about it the crazier it seemed. He found out that this jutsu transported things into a pocket dimension, a pretty useful little trick. Soon, he discovered that he could use it to make untouchable for short amount of time. The longest he had been able to keep himself invulnerable so far was 2 minutes.

He may not be able to use the Susanoo, but this might actually be better. With this new jutsu, there was almost no one who could manage to touch him. Obito was quickly becoming one of the Leaf's greatest assets. That was something he was very proud of, and he was going to make sure that he did as much as he could with it.

* * *

Tsunade thanked god she was a ninja and was already used to all nighters. As much as she loved Mito, that little girl seemed to hate sleep. Rin had similar feelings with Kakashi, although they would usually fall asleep if you just walked around with them. They would take turns with Naruto, but to be honest he was the most easy going baby of the three. It was pretty rare they actually needed to put him back to sleep.

By far the babies were the most fun when they had first woken up in the morning. They would smile and giggle, sometimes they would blow little bubbles with their mouths too. Yeah, they adorable in the morning.

They had to move around their schedules a little bit so that they could have at least two people with the babies at all times. Even Anko volunteered to help out when she could.

Jiraiya had given up on writing Icha Icha, couldn't really keep doing that now that he was a dad, especially with a little girl. He did however continue with his spy network, although he wasn't gone nearly as much now.

Tsunade was still working as the head of the hospital, part time at least. She had Rin and Shizune helping her as she had taught them everything they needed to know about running the hospital. They would take shifts of running the hospital and whoever wasn't would stay home and help with kids.

Obito and Anko were both going on missions and training quite a lot, but still made sure that they had time with the kids. Obito didn't go on as many missions as Anko did, mainly because he wanted to be with Kakashi and Naruto as much as possible so he spent more time just training and going home at the end of the day.

The schedules had change quite a bit, but the only one whose rank changed was Anko who was made Jonin. Jiraiya and Tsunade had been teaching her how to use her summonings more effectively, primarily how to use the snake summoning contract without having to give sacrifices to the more powerful snakes. With Jiraiya's help, they modified her technique so that she only summoned the right snakes. They found that some snakes didn't exactly agree with Manda's, the boss summons, line of out Manda wasn't well liked even by his own followers. She had even found a few very powerful snakes that didn't ask for anything but loyalty. The best part was, now Kakashi could sign the contract risk free. Anko was definitely on the way to bringing honor back to the snakes, and she wasn't gonna stop until she did.

* * *

Tori was getting a little impatient. They had yet to acquire even one tailed beast, mostly because they needed to lay low because of the hidden Leaf incident. The only thing Tori had accomplished so far was taking control of the hidden Mist. Their Mizukage was a jinjuriki, meaning Tori could control him with her Mangekyo Sharingan.

Having control over an entire hidden village was very beneficial, as it let her keep an ear to the ground at what the other villages might be up to. Not to mention she could now extract the three tailed turtle at any time. You can't kill a tailed beast, so even after it was destroyed when Hatake was killed it reformed about two years later. The hidden Mist sealed inside a young boy known as Yugaru. Yugaru was now her personal puppet, and with him see would Mist right under her thumb.

She may not be close to having all of the tailed beasts, but at least she had gotten the ball rolling. Things were only going to get better for the Akatsuki from here.

* * *

Sarutobi was not happy to be back into the Hokage's chair. He considered asking one of his students to be the new Hokage, but with his student having children it just didn't seem right ask them to do that. It wasn't a good idea to try to raise children when you're the Hokage, he knew that better than anyone. Asuma grew up with resentment towards his father, granted he still loved his father and knew he was a good man, but that didn't change the fact that he often felt his father cared more about the village than his own son.

Still, there was nothing he could do about that now. His village needed him, and there was no way in hell he was going to leave it in the hands of Danzo. When the time came he would find a way to make it up to his son. Until then, he would do what he could for his village. He had been entrusted with a great task, and he wasn't going to let anyone down.

* * *

Before long it was time for their first birthdays. They decided to have the party on Kakashi's birthday as it was right in between the other two. Most of the clan heads came with their kids, as it was the party for two major clan children and the son of the Fourth Hokage. Although Obito still wasn't calling himself or his son an Uchiha, the clan heads still considered them one. Some were even calling the two, 'The True Uchiha's.'

The first to arrive was Tsume, head of the Inuzuka clan and one time teammate of Minato. (It's my fanfic so I say they were teammates!) Naturally she didn't want to miss the party of her sensei's daughter and teammate's son. She had brought her five year old daughter Hana and her year old son Kiba.

Hana, who had met Jiraiya before, was happy to see him as she thought of him as an uncle. She hadn't really been introduced to his now dormant pervy side. Jiraiya gladly accepted a hug from the young girl, "Uncle Jiraiya! Can I hold Mito, Pleaseeeeeeee?"

Jiraiya laughed, "Of course you can, she's with Tsunade right now. Go find her."

Hana ran off happily and Tsume turned to her old sensei, "How've you been you old pervert?"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, Tsume never was one to show him much respect, "Good to see you too Tsume. Is Hiashi coming as well?"

Tsume smiled at the mentioning of their last teammate, "Oh yeah, he's bringing his little girl along too. Real cutie, got blue hair like her mom."

Jiraiya couldn't help but find that kinda funny, "Blue hair on a clan heir, I don't think I've ever seen that before."

Hiashi walked in at just that moment, "Yes, it is rather unusual. It seems little Hinata inherited her mother's looks thankfully."

Haria (I'm naming her mother that because I couldn't find a name for her anywhere so I just went with and H name.) was busy making faces at her daughter, who giggled in delight. Hinata was clearly quite content in her mother's arms. Finally Haria turned to Jiraiya, "Hello Jiraiya, I apologize for my husband and I not visiting you more often, but as you can see we have our own little one to take care of."

Jiraiya waved off her apology, "No worries, the whole village has been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off for the past year. I didn't expect to see you guys a ton."

Hiashi handed Jiraiya a few presents he had been carrying, "Still sensei, we're glad we could make to the party. It was massive blow to the entire village when we lost Minato, I want to do what I can for his son."

Jiraiya set the presents in the pile and motioned for them to follow him, "Come on, it's time you guys were properly introduced to Naruto."

Hiashi and Tsume followed Jiraiya to the nursery where Naruto was sleeping peacefully. Tsume handed Kiba to Jiraiya and walked up and picked him up, "Hi there, I'm Tsume. Oh you're cute little pup aren't you."

Hiashi looked at the whiskers then at his sensei his sensei, "So Minato really sealed the Kyuubi inside of him. How are you going to deal with it?"

Jiraiya sighed, "There's no sense in hiding it from him. I'm going to tell him about and try to teach him how to control it's chakra and use it to make him stronger. We've already got some angry villagers after him though."

Hiashi nodded, "The Hyuuga clan will support the boy with the everything we've got."

Tsume handed Naruto off to Hisashi, "Same here, anyone comes after that kids, they'll have me to answer to."

Jiraiya pitted the man who brought Tsume's wrath down on him. Hana came running in holding Mito, "Look mom, she's so cute! She doesn't cry when hold her either!"

Tsume smiled at her daughter, "Yup, good job. Who's all here now?"

Hana thought for a second, "Um, the bug ninja's,"

Tsume always loved when she said stuff like that, but she still had to correct her, "The Aburame's sweetie."

Hana nodded, "Yeah them. Plus the Nara guys and those Yaka-Yakam-Ya…"

Tsume couldn't help but laugh, "Yamanaka's."

Hana nodded again, "And the Akimichi's. I thinks that's everyone."

Jiraiya handed Kiba back to Tsume and grabbed Naruto from Hiashi, "Well, let's get out there. Time to go greet everybody."

* * *

The party continued on without much incident. They gave the cake and ice cream to kid who absolutely devoured it. Next they opened the presents, which had some interesting things inside. Some highlights included a special medicine made from insect venom that was good for helping with the pain that came along with teething from the Aburame's. Three large hand made stuffed animals from the Hyuuga's, a Toad for Naruto, a Slug for Mito, and a Snake for Kakashi as they already knew those would be their summoning animals. Also the Inuzuka's gave them special canine fangs from previous Inuzuka dogs on necklace, a very high honor.

Several more gifts were given that day, but those were the really interesting ones. It had been an interesting year, who knew what would follow in the next one.

* * *

Actually the next year was more or less the exactly same, with a few new things happening. The kid said their first words, Mito said Mama and as did Kakashi. Naruto's first word, strangely enough, was ramen...go figure. They also took their first steps. Other than that though, it was pretty normal year.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21, this will be age two to five. A lot of this will be about the kids meeting each other for the first time, you know like play dates and what not. They'll meet Hinata and Kiba first, the Ino-Shika-Cho kids, so on and so forth. Well that's all, thanks for reading a please review.

* * *

Before any of them knew it, it was time for their first play date. The Hyuuga's wanted to have Hinata come over for a play date with her mother Haira. They decided to have Tsume bring Kiba with them as well, as he had already met Hinata and it might make her more comfortable since she was so shy.

Rin and Anko were set to help Haira and Tsume run this little shindig. All of the kids were three years old at the moment and were talking decently. Granted you couldn't always understand what they were saying, but for the most part they were able to figure out what the kids wanted.(That's my way of saying that when they talk and leave out words, I'm doing the on purpose. Three year olds tend to leave out words when they talk.)

The play date was tomorrow, and Rin was very eager to see just how the kids would handle it.

* * *

Rin opened the front door to find Haira and Tsume waiting with HInata and Kiba. Kiba looked excited, while Hinata was hiding behind her mother's leg looking very nervous. Kiba grabbed her hand and ran inside, "Come on Hinata, we go play!"

Rin laughed as they ran past her and Anko followed to show them where the kids were. Tsume shook her head, "He's an excitable one isn't he?"

Haira didn't seemed to mind in the least, "Maybe, but Hinata needs a little push. Kiba's good for bringing her personality out."

Rin's mind went straight to Naruto, who had become the most lively member of the group as his personality started to come out. She had a feeling he'd help with bringing Hinata out of her shell as well.

* * *

Anko lead Kiba and Hinata to the living room where the kids were playing. The moment they came in Naruto ran up to them, "Hi, I'm Naruto. Who you?"

Kiba was happy to see someone just as enthusiastic as he was, "I'm Kiba, this Hinata. You wanna play?"

Naruto nodded happily and brought them to Mito and Kakashi who had just gotten done with a round of hide and seek. He had taken to wearing a mask after his parents told him the man he was named after did. He almost looked like a black haired version of the first Kakashi with a little more meat on him. Kakashi grinned at them, "I'm Kakashi, I'm a good boy!"

Mito laughed and Anko looked at kakashi curiously. He said that constantly and she had no idea why, it was a little strange but for the most part she shrugged it off. Mito looked at Hinata and gave her a big smile, "I'm Mito."

Hinata shuffled her feet nervously, "My nam-me is Hina-Hinata."

Mito was overjoyed to have another girl to play with, "We playing hide and seek. Come on, you hide with me."

Anko watched as Naruto counted and the other hid. She had a feeling that these guys would be great friends.

* * *

They played like that for the next few hours, eventually getting Hinata to overcome her shyness to really get into it. They played tag after hide and seek, promptly followed by lunch. After lunch they went over to Kiba's house and played with some of the Inuzuka puppies, which they absolutely loved. After about an hour of that they had to head home. Kiba and Hinata were sad to have their new friends leave, but promised to see them again as soon as possible.

Obito, Jiraiya, and Tsunade listened happily to their kids stories about the days activities. They were glad to hear the kids hit it off so well, it was always good to have friends. Not to mention it would make things easier if either of them ended up on a team with the kids.

The kids had another play date in a week with the children of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation. If they could become friends with them then the only clan that they would have to make friends with left would be the Aburame's. Considering the kids were almost guaranteed to be on bad terms with the Uchiha's, being on good terms with all of the other major clans would make things much easier. Granted, they would never force them to be friends with anyone, but it would still makes things easier if they managed to be friends with the other kids.

* * *

The Ino-Shika-Cho kids were absolutely ecstatic to go on the play date...well ⅔'s of them were anyway, the Shikamaru kid didn't really seem excited about anything. Ino was just super happy to have Mito to play with as there weren't many other girls for her to play with. Choji was happy to find that Naruto ate as much ramen as he did. Kakashi was just happy to play with anyone, even Shikamaru. Shikamaru was absolutely stunned that someone his age was willing to some of the games he liked. Most of the kid who were as old as him couldn't even understand the games he liked, but Kakashi was actually willing to learn.

Only one problem arose when Ino asked, "Where's Naruto's mommy and daddy?"

Obito and Jiraiya, who had been watching the kids, weren't sure how to answer that. Naruto knew his father was the Fourth Hokage and they had even showed him pictures of his parents. But these kids were a little young to understand the concept of death. Jiraiya was about to answer when Naruto ran out with the picture they had give them, "This my mommy and daddy!"

Ino looked at the picture and Shikamaru who saw the hat the man in the picture was wearing said, "Your dad was the Hokage?"

Naruto smiled happily, "Yup, Uncle Obito says that he saved the villagers, but he died."

The kids had all heard the word death before, but none of them actually knew what it was supposed to mean. Other than that the play date went on without any other issues. The kids, just like with Hinata and Kiba, hit it off very well. In just two weeks they were going to go to hidden Sand with their parents for a political meeting. They didn't know it yet, but they'd make some new friend there as well

* * *

The kids weren't exactly perfect on the way to the Sand, but they could have been much worse. They did the classic 'Are we there yet?', about a dozen times. They had to tell Kakashi to put various scorpions and spiders down quite often. After a while Jiraiya summoned a toad to keep kids occupied.

This visit wasn't really for any particular reason, just a general how's it going type of thing. The Leaf sent someone to go visit the Sand at least once every month or two. Now it was their turn to to bit the bullet, no matter how much they didn't want to. They would spend a few days visiting with the Kazekage, then go home. Hopefully the kids could find a way to keep themselves busy.

* * *

Naruto and the others had been wandering around the Kazekage's mansion for an hour, with Rin following them making sure that they didn't go somewhere they weren't supposed to. The kids weren't all that impressed with it, the Senju eastes were much bigger. What they were really looking for was someone to play with. Kakashi looked around to see a small red haired boy who looked about three, the same age as them, talking to a blonde man. Kakashi grabbed the others and ran to go talk to him with Rin chasing them.

He ran up to the boy, "Hi, I'm Kakashi and I'm a good boy!"

The boy with red hair wasn't sure how to respond, "I'm...Gaara. This my Uncle Yashamaru."

Naruto was next, "I'm Naruto, nice to meet you!"

Naruto stuck his hand out to shake Gaara's hand but Gaara didn't shake back. He looked at his uncle as if to say 'can I?'

Yashamaru nodded and Gaara shook Naruto's hand, followed by Mito introducing herself. Yashamaru wasn't sure if he liked Gaara getting close to other kids, but he knew who these kids were so he didn't want to insult them. The blonde was the son of Fourth Hokage and the other two were major members of big clans after all.

Kakashi saw a picture of the Fourth Kazekage on the wall and looked back at Gaara, "You looked like the Kazekage."

Gaara nodded, "He's my dad."

Naruto grinned, "My dad was the Fourth Hokage!"

Gaara was surprised to hear that, he wounder if there were any other similarities between them, "Did he...did he seal one inside you too?"

Yashamaru looked appalled, "Gaara, don't ask that!"

Naruto looked confused, "One what?"

Gaara looked at the ground, "A demon."

Naruto thought he knew what Gaara ment, "I have fox inside me."

Rin didn't know Naruto knew that, "Naruto, who told you that?"

Naruto shrugged, "Uncle Jiraiya before I came here, he said that there was someone like me here. Is that Gaara?"

Gaara couldn't believe it, "I have a tanu-tanu…"

Yashamaru finished, "Tanuki Gaara."

Gaara frowned, "Yeah, that."

Naruto was psyched he had someone so similar to him, "This is great. We're gonna be real good friends."

Gaara wasn't used to that word, "Friends, you really want to be my friends?"

The all nodded and Gaara finally smiled, "Do you want to meet my brother and sister? They don't usually talk to me but I want them to meet my new friends."

Mito thought that sounded great, "Okay!"

Gaara lead them off to find his siblings while Yashamaru watch in disbelief, "Gaara's actually made some friends…"

* * *

They soon found Gaara's brother and sister. His brother, who was four, was named Kankuro and his sister, who was five, was named Temari. Both were pretty surprised to see that Gaara had made some friends. Neither of them hated their brother, they actually felt sorry for him, but their father told them to stay away from him. Maybe now that he had made some friends their father would be more understanding.

Before long they were happily playing with one another. They played ninja and board games for about two hours until Gaara asked Naruto a strange question, "Naruto, do you go to bed at night?"

Naruto was confused at the question, "Yes, don't you?"

Gaara shook his head, "No, everyone says it's cause of the Tanuki. Uncle says it's cause my seals bad."

Naruto scratched his head, "Uncle Jiraiya is really good with seals. Show it to him."

Gaara thought that sounded good, "Ok, we ask him later."

They went back to playing, Temari and Kankuro having a real play date with their brother for the first time.

* * *

Jiraiya looked at the seal with a deep frown on his face, "This seal is a joke. I mean, it's pretty good for an average ninja, but this'll never hold back a tailed beast for crying out loud!"

The Kazekage didn't like the sound of that, "We had our finest sealer create it."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, "They your finest sealer is an ameture. If you'll allow me, I can fix this seal. The boy will be able to sleep and he want her the tailed beast's voice in his head. He'll probably be able to use some of the tanuki's power too."

Gaara looked very hopeful at that, "Really!"

The Kazekage liked the sound of him being able to control the tanuki's power, "Alright, as you wish. Would you like to wait till after dinner to do it?"

Jiraiya shook his head, "Nah, the ground works already there, I just need to fix the finer details. Shouldn't take more than ten minutes."

The Kazekage walked away with Kankuro and Temari following him, "Since Gaara's gonna be able to control his power now, we can see him more right?"

The Kazekage supposed it might be a good idea to get Gaara more attached to the hidden Sand, and if his brother and sister could do that for him why not, "Of course. If you'd like we can have his room moved to the one next to your's."

Kankuro and Temari couldn't believe it, they finally had their little brother back!

* * *

The next two year followed a similar pattern. They would go to the Sand once every month or two to visit Gaara and his siblings. His life had improved greatly thanks to his seal being fixed. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro even got to come for their birthday parties too. Naruto and the others had also met Shino, who was a little strange but still very nice. Mito really liked slugs so they hit it off well and Kakashi and Naruto could get along with almost anyone. It had been a great few years for the group that's for sure.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22, the last one before they start the academy. This chapter will cover age five to eight, this is the one where I'll be introducing Sakura and Sasuke to the mix. I've been considering what who I want to pair Sasuke up with and it looks like it's going to be Karin. It occurred to me that since Mito is gonna learn from Tsunade, it would be redundant to have Sakura learn from her too. So I'm gonna have Sakura become a genjutsu mistress under Kurenai. Anyway, let's get on with the next chapter. Thanks for reading a please review.

* * *

After the kids turned all turned five, there were a few interesting days that would follow. First, the meeting of Sakura Haruno. They met the young girl through Ino, who had helped the girl on the playground after getting teased for her large forehead. Ino had wanted to introduce her to her friends as they didn't have a mean bone in their body. Everyone was there except for Naruto.

It was going quite well, until Naruto arrived. Sakura suddenly got very nervous, "Um, my mom said I shouldn't play around him."

Ino and the other's didn't understand, "Why, Naruto's harmless?"

Sakura didn't really know herself, "Something about him having something bad inside of him…"

Naruto cut her off, "You mean the fox?"

Now it was Sakura's turn to be confused, "Fox?"

Naruto nodded, "The Kyuubi, before my dad died he sealed it inside of me."

Sakura suddenly started to back away, "You're the Kyuubi?!"

Calling Naruto the Kyuubi was the only thing that set Kakashi off, so when Sakura said that he started yelling, "Naruto is not the Kyuubi, he's a good boy! You shouldn't be so mean!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Yeah, it's just sealed inside of him. You know, like water in a glass. If you hate it when people make fun of you for your forehead then don't pick at Naruto for having the Kyuubi sealed inside him."

Sakura was on the verge of tears, "I didn't mean, I...I."

Naruto didn't want all this trouble because of him, "It's okay, I don't want Sakura to get in trouble because of me."

Mito looked at Sakura, "We can have my mommy and daddy talk to your mom. Does that sound okay? They the legendary sannin so I think she'll listen to them."

Sakura was just happy people weren't made at her, "Yeah, I'll tell my mom when I get home. Is it alright if I play with you guys for now?"

They all smiled at her, "Yeah, we were just going to play tag. You're it first!"

Sakura chased after them happily, glad that they were still letting her play with them.

* * *

Mebuki Haruno wasn't thrilled at the idea of Sakura playing with someone who had the Kyuubi inside of him. She bared no actual I'll will towards the boy, but after losing her husband Kizashi to that monster she just didn't feel comfortable having Sakura being anywhere near it. However, she had the legendary sannin at her house so she would at least hear them out, not like that could do much harm.

Jiraiya started, "Mebuki, I realize it may not be as easy as it for you as it is for some others to accept Naruto but I'm telling you there's no risk. Minato was the finest sealer the world has ever seen and the seal he made is absolutely fantastic. Plus, I'm more than capable of keeping an eye on it as I'm not far behind my student."

Mebuki, of course, still wasn't satisfied, "The quality of seal isn't what I'm worried about, that fox is inside the boy. How do I know it's not influencing him and keeping the influence hidden?"

Tsunade frowned, "We've had Inoichi keeping an eye on his mind since he was born, the Kyuubi has made no attempts to even get inside his head."

Mebuki just wasn't sure, "Sakura's all I've got, I can't imagine losing her."

Tsunade could understand that much, but knew that something like that would do more damage than good, "Keeping her cooped up like that won't do her any good. She's going to have to go out into the world eventually, who better to be surrounded by than the villages most powerful ninja's?"

Mebuki couldn't deny that one, "I suppose you're right. She can play with Naruto, but I'm still not completely comfortable with this."

Jiraiya shook her hand, "That's all we ask. I'll keep your daughter safe."

Mebuki supposed she could live with that. She watched them head out, still a little scared for her daughter.

* * *

The next person they met was a boy known as Sasuke, but that meeting wasn't nearly as pleasant. Sasuke absolutely hated Kakashi, as he was told to by his father. All of the Uchiha clan were to view Obito and Kakashi as traitors. Sadly, if Sasuke had known the truth about why Obito left he might not be as proud to be an Uchiha. Like the rest of his clan, Sasuke was more or less brainwashed to think they were perfect, the ideal clan.

His brother Itachi wasn't quite the same, as he had been introduced to darker side of the Uchiha clan at a very young age. Itachi was only ten, but he had already made jonin in secret. He had activated his Sharingan at the age of five and had all of his tomeos by age six. He was not nearly as aggravated when he met Kakashi on the street.

They had saw Kakashi, Naruto, and Mito when they were out for ramen one day. Sasuke saw him and gave him an angry glare, "My father say that you and your dad are traitors to the Uchiha clan. I hate traitors."

Itachi patted his brother on the head, "Now Sasuke, there's no need to start anything. I've researched this matter, Obito left the clan by legal means and has broken no laws. He and Kakashi are fellow citizens of the Leaf, you should apologize."

Sasuke was surprised, but looked up to his brother above everyone. He turned to Kakashi, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you."

They walked away and Naruto and Mito turned to Kakashi, "What was that about?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Kakashi doesn't know, he just wants his ramen."

Naruto still wasn't sure why Kakashi referred to himself in the first person, he didn't even know what the first person was actually, but when they took Kakashi to Inochi he said there was nothing wrong with him. Everyone just accepted it as part of his slightly strange personality. He was still very smart and very nice, so why look a gift horse in the mouth. They just followed him to get their ramen and let it rest.

* * *

Sasuke questioned Itachi as they walked home, "Itachi, what do you mean you looked into it?"

Itachi really was hoping to avoid that particular topic, "Sasuke, there are things that happen in the Uchiha clan that you don't know about. Not everyone who's part of the clan is automatically a good person. Obito's father wasn't exactly a saint a well liked man. He was a drunk and fool."

Sasuke didn't understand, "So why didn't someone just take care of it and move Obito somewhere?"

Itachi had to be careful about how he answered that, "Well, by the time people knew the full extent of it Obito was already gone." Not really a lie, but not the complete truth either.

Sasuke guessed that made sense, but one thing still bugged him, "Why didn't he come back when the clan said he could though?"

Luckily for Itachi, he didn't have to lie about that one, "I have no idea, he must have been happier outside of the clan."

Sasuke figured if Itachi didn't know why, then no one else must have either.

* * *

Sakura learned a few very important things when she joined her new group of friends. One, Naruto, Kakashi, and Kiba were the best pranksters in all of the Leaf. They always had the most brilliant ideas and they never managed to get caught. They even had the Hokage help them prank people on a few occasions.

Two, Kakashi was very strange. He was very nice, but very strange. Sakura learned very quickly not to try and correct his speech. She remembered the first time she tried to.

Sakura looked at the masked boy and smiled, "It's 'I'm a good boy' Kakashi."

Kakashi gave sakura a funny looked, "Sakura, you're a girl."

Sakura smacked her forehead, "That's not what I meant."

Kakashi nodded, "Right, casue you're a girl."

Sakura shook her head no, "No, it's not that."

Kakashi gasped, "You're a boy?!"

Sakura sighed, "I'm a girl Kakashi. You know what, never mind."

Last but not least, never bring up Hinata's mother. Apparently she had died a year early giving birth to Hinata's sister Hanabi. She still didn't like to talk about it.

It wasn't a great idea to bring up her cousin Neji either. It would start out just fine, she loved her cousin Neji after all and at one time they were great friends. However, that was before the incident.

When Hinata was three years old, a Cloud shinobi came to Leaf for talks of an alliance. That was lie, in reality they came to kidnap Hinata for her Byakugan. They intend on using her as breeding stock when she became old enough. Hiashi found out about this and killed the Cloud ninja before he could take her. The Cloud demand Hiashi's head, however they didn't get it. It was considered the duty of the branch family to protect the main family of the clan. Despite Hiashi's protests, his brother and Neji's father Hizashi insisted on dying in his brother's place.

The more Naruto found out about that Cloud, Jiraiya had told him stories about his parent's run-in's with them, the less he liked them. Jiraiya didn't like Naruto thinking that, he pointed out that there are plenty of things the Leaf did in the past that they aren't too proud of either. No village was without sin, all of them were just trying to do what they felt was best for their people. Granted some of those things are worse than others, but it wasn't really a competition.

Other than that, Sakura found out they didn't really care what you did. No one cared Choji was chubby, no one cared that Shikamaru was lazy, not even Shino's bugs threw anyone off. They just accept you for who you were, everyone could just be themselves. It was really a place where you could be comfortable.

* * *

Mibuki had to admit, she was very wrong about Naruto. The boy was the exact opposite of dangerous, she had never seen Sakura this strong before. She was becoming independent and confident, all of which stemmed from her new group of friends. If she had told Sakura she couldn't be around them because of Naruto she never would have made this much progress. She couldn't have been more grateful to the sannin for talking her into all of this.

Only one thing made her nervous, when Sakura came to her and told her she wanted to be a ninja. Mebuki just wasn't sure how to react to that, she had already lost her husband to the shinobi life after all. Still, she just couldn't tell Sakura no about this, she'd never forgive herself if she did. If it's what Sakura wanted it's what she'd let her do, no matter how much it scared her.

* * *

Three more years passed and the academy sign ups were in just one week. Little did they know that wouldn't be the big thing on everyone's mind.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23, for those of you who haven't figured it out, it's time for the Uchiha massacre. I've been debating where I want Itachi to fall in all of this, and I've finally figured out exactly what I want to do with him. Of course I'm not going to tell you exactly what I'm doing yet, you'll have to read the chapter to find out that. They'll be signing up for the academy too, but that's gonna be kind of a side thing compared to the massacre. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Fugaku refused to wait any longer, the Leaf just kept lowering and lowering the amount of power the Uchiha had to the point they were almost on the same level as the other clan. The Uchiha's were one of the first clans who formed this village, they deserved more power than the other clans. The Senju's only had Tsunade and her daughter left, so their power should be reduced. Therefore the Uchiha's deserved the most power of all the clans in the entire village.

He had heard some reports saying there might finally be an Uchiha as Hokage, imagine his shock when he found out it was Obito they were talking about. The old fool was looking to retire again and he was looking at Obito, Jiraiya, and Tsunade to replace him. There was no way he could let the first Uchiha Hokage be someone who had betrayed them! The time had come, they had been talking about it for quite some time now. They were finally going take their rightful place as the leaders of the village.

* * *

Itachi was walking through the Uchiha compound, he was on his way to his father's office to tell him about his most recent mission. He heard voices from the other side of the door to his father's office, "It's finally time, this pathetic little village will bow to it's knees before us. We've earned this right. In two day's we'll act, we've lost Shishi, but we've still got Itachi. Once he returns from his mission we'll brief him on his roll in all of this."

One of the other's spoke up, "Are you sure we can trust him, rumor has it he's the one who drown Shishi?"

Itachi winced at that, while he was the one who killed Shishi in a sense, it was at his request. Shishi was being used as a weapon, something he hated, so he jumped into and river and told Itachi not to save him. He had asked Itachi to kill him and take his remaining eye, as Danzo had stolen the other one. His eyes had the ability to hypnotize and control almost anyone, it was too dangerous to to keep in anyone's possession but Itachi's. Shishi died and Itachi had ended up with the Mangekyo Sharingan through it.

He turned around and headed to the Hokages office, but stopped once he reach Sasuke's room. Grabbing his brother in a manor that wouldn't wake him up, Itachi kept moving to the Hokage's office. No way in hell was he leaving his brother to be kept with those made men.

* * *

Sarutobi couldn't believe what he was hearing, "They're really going to betray us, you're sure about that?"

Itachi looked at his brother who was asleep on a nearby couch, "Yes, they've heard rumours that Obito could be the next Hokage and are furious about it."

Sarutobi was shocked to hear that, "What, but I've told almost no one about that. Who could have told them? Wait...Danzo, of course. He knows the Uchiha stand no chance against all of us, especially if he finds a way to tip us off first. With the Uchiha clan weakened he'd have them right in his hands. I can't believe he'd go that far just for politics, it's something even I never imagined he could do."

Itachi frowned, "What do you think we should do?"

Sarutobi wasn't sure, "I'd say gather the council, but frankly I don't trust them seeing as how it looks Danzo was the one who triggered this. I'll go and see if I can't talk them down, offer them some kind of consolation prize."

Itachi didn't think that was a great idea, "Do you think that's wise, after all they could simply launched a surprise attack on you?"

Sarutobi shook his head, "I can handle myself just fine, a battle with me would certainly draw attention which would bring me reinforcements."

Itachi couldn't really argue with his logic, "Alright sir, but I should go with you. They'll be more willing to talk to you if I'm there. They don't want to lose their golden pow after all."

Sarutobi got up and walked to the door, "We'll leave Sasuke here for now, no reason to bring him along and put him at risk. My secretary can keep an eye on him."

Itachi was satisfied with that and followed Sarutobi as he left the Hokages office.

* * *

Sarutobi got to the Uchiha compound and smelled a familiar scent that sent chills down his spine, Blood!

Sarutobi and Itachi rushed in to Uchiha compound to find dead bodies everywhere. The ground was dyed crimson with a few severed body parts around them. This didn't make sense, who on earth did this? Only Itachi and Sarutobi knew of the revolt, who else had any reason to kill them?

That's when they heard the voice of woman, "I'd say it was nothing personal, but frankly I enjoyed killing all of bastards of the Uchiha clan."

Sarutobi saw that it was the same bandaged woman from before, "Aren't you one of those Uchiha bastards?"

The woman shrugged, "I was once, but I got out the second I could. It was time for the Uchiha clan to die. Perhaps you and the other's can rebuild it in a better form."

Itachi felt rather dizzy, "Who all did you kill?"

The woman smiling under her bandages, "I'm afraid that only you, your brother, Obito, and Kakashi are the only remaining Uchiha's now." Itachi was ready to vomit and the woman turned away, "The Uchiha's would be to much of a threat to me, especially if they took over the village. I handled them."

Sarutobi got into a battle ready position, "I don't know who you are, but you're not leaving the walls of this village!"

The woman laughed, "Oh I'm already gone, this is just a genjutsu. It's similar to the one I used on this entire compound. They never even saw me coming. As for who I am, I'll leave that for you to figure out."

She vanished into thin air, leaving Sarutobi to gawk at the situation. Itachi had finally regained his bearings and turned to the Hokage, "So, what now?"

Sarutobi ground his teeth, "We head back to the office and try to think of some way to explain all this to the council without it sounding insane."

* * *

The whole village knew by morning, most of them couldn't believe the entire Uchiha clan had be slaughter like that. Sarutobi had explained it all to the council last night during an emergency meeting. The only thing he kept a secret was the fact that the Uchihas intend on attacking the village if that woman hadn't stopped them.

Everyone's first question was the same, who was this woman that managed to kill an entire clan on her own? The only thing they knew for sure about her is that she was an Uchiha, but that wasn't really much help. They had check all the dead bodies to see who was missing from them, seemed like the easiest way to find out who she was. However, there were no Uchihas unaccounted for.

Everything they found raised more questions than it answered. Sarutobi genuinely had no idea where to go from here. He knew one thing though, he didn't envy Itachi trying to explain all of this to Sasuke.

* * *

Sasuke was about to faint, he felt nauseous too. His parents were dead, almost his entire family was dead. He only had Itachi left. Sasuke turned to his brother with tears in his eyes, "How did this happen, were they killed?"

Itachi nodded, "Yes, they were. I'm sorry Sasuke, I know you must be very scared right now…"

Sasuke suddenly yelled, tears still streaming down his face, "Who was it?"

Itachi was surprised that his brother was screaming at him like that, "We're not sure who she is, but she was an Uchiha at one time."

Sasuke started to go from sad to angry, "We're gonna get her, someday I'll kill her!"

Itachi frowned, "Sasuke calm yourself. I know you're angry but what we need to do right now is get our thoughts together and figure out what we need to do now."

Sasuke wiped his eyes, he had to be strong like his big brother. "Where are we gonna stay?"

Itachi was about to say he didn't know when he heard a knock at the door. They were in a side room in the Hokage's building so Itachi wasn't really sure who was. He opened the door to find Obito and Kakashi on the other side.(Side note, you should be picturing the older version of Obito now because he's 24 at this point) Obito gave Itachi a sympathetic look, "Hello Itachi, how are you holding up?"

Itachi sighed, "I've been much better I'll tell you that much."

Kakashi ran up to Sasuke, "Hey Sasuke, Kakashi heard you sad and wanted to come make you feel better!"

Sasuke was a little surprised how enthusiastic he was, "Um, thank you, I guess."

Obito smiled at his son and turned to Itachi, "I know we aren't official Uchiha's but we're still family as far as I'm concerned. If you need anything all you have to do is ask."

Itachi mulled over what he had said, "We do need a place to stay…"

Kakashi jumped up, "Oh, can they stay with us dad, can they, can they?!"

Obito laughed, "Of course, if they want to anyways."

Kakashi turned to Sasuke, "Please stay with us, Kakashi promises you'll have a good time!"

Sasuke was skeptical and turned to his brother who smiled and turned to Obito, "We'd be happy to stay with you, thank you very much."

Kakashi grabbed Sasuke's hand and pulled him out of the room, "Come on, you're gonna love it our house!"

Itachi and Obito chuckled as Kakashi drag Sasuke to the house, hopefully the kids could keep Sasuke's mind off from everything.

* * *

Sasuke was completely thrown off by how nice everyone Senju estates were, it was nothing like the Uchiha compound. Rather than dark, dim, and quiet, it was bright and loud. His parents weren't nearly as lively as these guys seemed to be.

He had ended up walking with Naruto, Kakashi, and Mito to the first day of the academy, along with their parents and his big brother. Sasuke got several funny looks from almost everyone he walked past, which he knew was because of the massacre. When they finally reached the academy he was just glad not to have anyone staring at him.

As soon as they got there Mito ran up to Kiba so that she could pet Akamaru, Kiba's dog and partner. Mito worked with animals at vet to start with her medical training, and she found she absolutely loved animals. Akamaru yipped happily as he got his belly scratched, "Oh, who's a good boy? You are, yes you are."

Kiba was always amazed at how good Mito was with animals, "Akamaru rolls over every time he sees you, it's like he knows you're gonna rub his belly."

Mito shrugged, "He just knows me well then."

Ino ran up to Mito, "Mito, can you believe it, we're gonna be actual ninja's soon!"

Mito stop petting Akamaru and hugged Ino, "I'm so excited!"

Hinata was looking nervous as always, so Naruto went up to her, "Hey Hinata, ready for your first day?"

Hinata smiled shyly, "Yes, tha-ank you Naru-uto."

Finally the teacher opened the door, he had brown hair and a scar right below his eyes, "Alright everyone, welcome to your first day here at the academy. You may call me Iruka-sensei, come on in and let's get started."

As the walked back in Anko was grinning, "That guy with the scar was cuuuutttteeee!"

Rin rolled her eyes, "You and scars, I'm surprised you aren't after Ikibi."

Anko shook her head, "Nah, he's too much of a big tough guy, I need someone to balance me out ya know?"

Rin raised an eyebrow, "Right…"


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24, the academy has begun. Usually I go into something about the chapter, but I don't really have anything this time. Thanks for reading and please review!

* * *

Iruka got inside and looked at the class he had received. Not a bad mix overall, lots of clan heirs and the sons of a few prominent ninjas. Plenty of potential to work with. They had already taken the written pretest and most everyone scored pretty well. A few scores stood out though. Shikamaru's test had just enough right to have been considered passing if it had been a real test. Sakura, Hinata, Mito, and Shino would have passed with flying colors. Kiba, Kakashi, Choji, and Ino all would have failed but they all came close. Naruto and Sasuke both passed but not by a very large margin. There was boy named Sai there as well who did rather well on the test, leaving Iruka very curious as to who he was as he had never heard of Sai before.

Next was the taijutsu test, which went surprisingly well. Granted only Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, Kiba, and Choji had what was considered passable taijutsu but for the their age group that was great.

Finally they did the ninjutsu test, which showed off extremely impressive results. Iruka asked everyone to show him their best jutsu, which the kids of course immediately took to be a competition.

Sakura went first to get her's over with, as ninjutsu was by far her weakest area. The best jutsu she could do was the clone jutsu, just regular, she couldn't' add any elements to it.

Ino went next, she used her Mind Transfer jutsu on Shikamaru to wake him up and get him over there to show off his jutsu. It took almost all of her chakra and she had to sit down when she was done.

Shikamaru, despite his pretests, showed off his Shadow Possesion techninge. He used it on Ino as payback for waking him up, but was only able to keep it going for about a minute before he had to stop.

After Shikamaru, Choji was up. He could make his hand massive for a very short period of time. He could only hold it for about 20 seconds, not really long enough to do much damage.

Shino went next and used his beetles to swarm a nearby target. Not exactly a jutsu, but Iruka felt it counted.

The boy no one knew much about, Sai, went up. He came up with scroll and drew a small bird, which actually flew off the page and out the window, much to everyone's amazement.

Kiba used Akamaru to complete his Man Best Clone jutsu. There were now to solid Kiba's who could both fight simultaneously. He could only use it for about five minutes though.

Sasuke and Kakashi both used Fireball jutsu, both of which impressed everyone who saw it. While Kakashi thought it was awesome the both of them knew it, Sasuke was slightly bothered that someone else could perform it. Oh well, not like he couldn't learn other jutsu's.

Mito made a small cut on Kakashi's hand, then healed it for him. Nothing major, but still impressive for an eight year old.

Naruto went last and he used his best jutsu. Iruka was shocked to see the boy could perform the Shadow Clone jutsu. Apparently his parents found out that he had too much chakra to use regular ones, so they taught him the shadow version.

Naruto asked one last question, "Can we show everyone our summons too?"

Iruka nodded and everyone gathered to watch. Naruto summoned one of his toads first, Gamakichi. Gamakichi was a little angry at first but once Naruto gave him some chocolate he happily poofed away.

Next Mito summoned her slug Teimei, who introduced herself and poofed away very quickly. She was almost as shy as Hinata.

Finally, Kakashi summoned his favorite snake Kakumei, jet black viper. The kids were scared at first, but they soon found that he was almost as strange as Kakashi was. He liked to hide in places and scare people when they weren't training. He and Kakashi must have worked quite well together.

Iruka was shocked at how well his students were doing. He couldn't have been more impressed with them to be honest. He just hoped they wouldn't make his to easy.

* * *

Naruto, Kakashi, Mito, and Sasuke all walked back to the Senju estates with Anko, they felt very well about their tests today. Kakashi wasn't really paying them much mind as he was busy chatting with Kakumei, "Did you see everyone today Kakumei, we blew them away!"

Kakumei agreed with his summoner, lengthening out his s's like snakes do, "Yessssss, did you sssee Iruka'sssss face when I hid in hisssss dessssk?"

Kakashi laughed, "That was priceless!"

Sasuke turned to Naruto, "Is he always like this?"

Naruto shrugged, "More or less, yeah. He's super nice though."

Sasuke looked Kakashi over once again, "He's gonna activate his Sharingan one day, and when he does I'm going to need his help in finding that woman."

Naruto didn't like the sound of that, "It's it really that important to get revenge on that lady?"

Sasuke scowled, the blood in his veins turning cold, "She killed my whole family, I can't just let that go!"

Suddenly someone appeared behind them, "Kakashi will help!"

Sasuke turned to Kakashi, "You'll really help me?"

Kakashi nodded vigorously, "Dad says that the Uchiha's are finally a full fledged family again, since you're family Kakashi should help you."

Mito and Naruto joined in. Mito looked at Kakashi, "If she really did all that then see's bad for the Leaf, so all of will help you take her down."

Sasuke smiled, he may have lost his old family, but it looked like he might have gain a new one as well.

* * *

Sarutobi looked at Obito, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, pondering how to begin this, "I assume you all know why I've called you here."

Tsunade frowned, "Yeah, you want one of us to take your job."

Jiraiya sighed, "So, guess we have to decided who's the best choice in this situation. I think I'm out of the question, I might be strong enough to be Hokage but I'm awful with politics."

Tsunade deepened her frown, "Great, I'm good with both of those so I'm still an option."

Obito looked around, "I don't think it should be me in that case, I know nothing about politics."

Sarutobi shook his head, "Actually Obito, that's one of the reason's I picked you. You've got no skeletons in your closet that someone could hold over you. Also you'd have multiple experienced people you can trust to guide with the political areas you don't know about. You're the one I'm leaning towards right now."

Obito wasn't sure what to make of all of this. Tsunade stood up, "I say we go with Obito, I definitely don't want to do it, plus I've got duties at the hospital I have to take care of. I'm sure Obito is gonna do fine."

Jiraiya nodded, "Yeah, and even if I was good with politics, I've got my spy network to run."

Sarutobi was hoping it would end this way, "Obito it is, I'll go put the process in motion. See you all soon."

Jiraiya and Tsunade replied at the same time, "Alright see ya."

Before Obito could speak, all of them were gone leaving him to wonder one thing...WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!?

* * *

Rin repeated what she just heard, "You're going to be Hokage…"

Obito gulped, he wasn't sure how she was going to react to this, "Are you okay with this, I mean I can still turn it down if you really want me to?"

Rin wasn't having that, "No, it's fine. I'm scared about how dangours the job is, but there's no way I can tell you turn this down."

Obito couldn't believe how cool she was with this, "Wow, thanks. Wonder how excited the kids are gonna be?"

Kakashi popped out of nowhere, "What will Kakashi be excited about?"

Rin jumped, she had no idea he was there, "Is it bad I'm considering putting a bell on my own son?"

Obito laughed, "Get the other kids in here Kakashi, we've got some big news."

Rin watched him run off and looked at her husband, "This seems too similar to when sensei told us he was going to be Hokage…"

Obito held his wife close to him, "Don't worry sweetie, I won't leave you and the kids all alone."

Rin giggled, "We'd still have Tsunade and Jiraiya, we'd manage."

Obito gave a mock pout, "Oh, you make it sound like you don't even need me."

Rin leaned in and kissed him, "Oh, I wouldn't say that."

Kakashi popped up again, "Kakashi brought them, just like you asked!"

Obito saw Naruto, Mito, Itachi, Sasuke, and Anko in front of them. Anko looked a little annoyed, "What is it, I was getting ready for my date?"

Rin raised an eyebrow, "When'd you get a date?"

Anko grinned, "When I picked the kids up from school. I convinced Iruka-kun to take me out!"

Rin wasn't sure she was telling them everything, "Convinced?"

Anko had a mischievous look on her face, "Yeah, convinced."

_Iruka looked around as all of the kids left the academy, his eye was soon caught by a woman walking his way, "Hi, I'm hear to pick up Naruto, Mito, Kakashi, and Sasuke."_

_Iruka nodded, "They should be out in just a minute, I'm their sensei Iruka."_

_Anko shook his hand, "Name's Anko. Must be pretty smart if you're a teacher."_

_Iruka nodded, "Well yeah, I'm not much of fighter but I'm great with the academic stuff."_

_Anko wasn't so sure about what he just said, "I heard you were at least jonin level shinobi."_

_Iruka rubbed the back of his head, "It's not that I'm not a good fighter, I just never really had it in me."_

_Anko figured that made sense, "You must have a lot of patience to keep these kid in line all day."_

_Iruka shrugged, "I guess. These kids can be pretty stressful at time."_

_Anko leaned in close to him, "And how do you handle that, relieving your stress I mean."_

_Iruka blushed at how close she was to him, "Well, I um, I don't really…"_

_Anko saw the kids coming out and whispered in his ear, "How about we go get a bite to eat tonight and we'll see if we can't relieve that stress of yours?"_

_Iruka just nodded dumbly while Anko walked away yelling back to him, "Meet me at dango shop on the corner here at 8, see you later Iruka-kun!"_

_Iruka watched her walk away with a small smile on his face. That was one hell of a woman!_

Anko smiled, convincing Iruka was fun. Rin had feeling she didn't want to know what all that entailed, "Sorry to keep you from getting ready, but this is big. Obito's been chosen as the new Hokage."

That sut Anko up, while Kakashi was bouncing up and down, "Dads gonna be the Hokage!"

Sasuke watched his cousin with curiosity then turned to his brother, "So if Obito's gonna be the Fifth Hokage, we'll have an easier time rebuilding the Uchiha clan right?"

Itachi nodded, "Yes, but there's some more important things about this than that."

Sasuke gave him a funny look, "Like what?"

Itachi couldn't help but laugh at his little brother, "It means that Obito now has the power to protect everyone in the village. Though I will admit, having the first Uchiha Hokage does help our situation."

Naruto and Mito turned to each other and yelled happily, "Uncle Obito's gonna do great."

Obito watched his family celebrate and couldn't help but feel like good things were to come. He was going to be the one everyone looked to in his village, but with his family behind him he knew he could do it.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25, on to more with the crazy kids. Also I'll be talking about Obito's start as Hokage of course. A little Anko and Iruka stuff thrown in there as well, cause you guys really seem to like that. Oh, and does anyone know why my average number a views a day and the number of people favoriting went down, is the story getting bad or something? Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Obito sat on top of the Hokages building, his whole body just buzzing with excitement. He never thought in a million years that he would be the Hokage. The whole time he sat there and wondered if his sensei had been this nervous when he got took the position. Everything that he heard his sensei and Sarutobi talk about was starting to make sense to him. That feeling, the pressure of having almost everyone looking at you for guidance and you not always having the the answer, it wasn't easy.

Finally he was shaken out of his thoughts when Sarutobi came up to him, "Obito, it's time."

Obito got up and looked at Sarutobi, he had his hat in his hands ready to be handed off to Obito, "Right, let's do this."

Obito gave a small gulp as looked out of the crowd. Sarutobi turned to him and began his speech, "People of the hidden Leaf, I'm pleased to once again be able to give this hat to a worthy successor. It pained the Leaf to watch my first successor sacrifice himself to save this village, me more so than anyone. However he left us one amazing thing, a student who thought only of others before himself. A man who I can truly trust with the safety of this village. Ladies and gentlemen, your new Hokage, Obito Uchiha!"

Sarutobi handed Obito the hat and shook his hand. Obito took a deep breath and began to speak, "Thank you all for this great honor you've entrusted me with. I can't say that I saw this coming, but I promise to do everything I can to protect you. I'm a man of few words, so I'll only say one more thing. I'll protect this village to my dying breath, that much you can count on."

The village cheered and Obito gave one last bow to the village. It appeared they approved of their new Hokage.

* * *

Obito wasn't the only one with major changes in his life, Anko was finding her life turning upside down as well. She really hadn't expected anything to come from her relationship Iruka, she just figured they would have run with one another for a while, shake hands, then move on. Much to her surprise however, she actually started to like him. They had been dating for the past six months now. Their most recent date had a pretty big surprise in it.

* * *

Anko was having a great time with Iruka at her favorite dango stand, it was where they went to the most on their dates as it was one of the only places they really agreed on. Anko and Iruka seemed to be one of those couples that work so well together because they were exact opposites. Anko was loud, brash, and overall just a very lively person, while Iruka was calm, laid back and just an all around simple guy. Something about the two just worked perfectly together. Iruka found that Anko brought out his fun side and got him to loosen up a bit, and Anko found that he was good a helping her know when to control her emotions. They were really a good match.

Iruka was currently on the ground laughing from one of Anko's stories, "You really dozens of snakes into the Hokage's building just because they wouldn't let you integrate one of Orochimaru's men?"

Anko shrugged, "None of them were poisonous, I just had to work out my frustrations, that's all."

Iruka finally got himself to stop laughing and shook his head, "You and your frustrations, they'll get you into trouble one of these days."

Anko smiled sweetily, "Yeah, but you'll be there to bail me out won't you?"

Iruka gave her little kiss on the cheek, "Of course sweetie. You know I love all your little quirks. You wouldn't be you without them."

Anko blurted out without thinking, "And that's why I love you."

Iruka went wide eyed, "What did you just say?"

Anko wasn't sure how to respond, "I um...said I love you."

Anko was terrified at what Iruka would say next, until he finally said, "I love you too.

Anko shuffled nervously, "So now what?"

Iruka didn't really know either, "Well, I guess we just keep going like we have been for now. I mean what else are we gonna do?"

Anko gave a small suggestion, "You could move in with all of us at the Senju eastes or I could move in with you, which ever one you think is better."

Iruka thought about it, "I don't know about living with that many people and I'd hate to take you away from the kids."

Anko had an idea, "Why don't you just try staying over for a week, I know you'd love it you tried it. Not to mention you'd get to be with me every night," She finished with a seductive simile.

Iruka shuddered at that smile, it was always followed with something good, "Alright, we'll give it shot. I'll go grab some stuff from my place and be over in about an hour."

Anko gave Iruka a kiss goodbye and watched him walk out. She really didn't expect this, but she had to admit she was really liking it.

* * *

Tsunade shrugged, "Sure, he can stay here awhile. We'd could use one more person to watch the kids anyway."

Anko was a little nervous at that, "Well, it might be a little different since he's their teacher."

Tsunade smirked, "I know Anko, you haven't shut up about him for the past five months."

Anko blushed, "What, I haven't been talking that much?!"

Rin decided to speak up, "Yes you have, in fact you've practically told us his life story."

Anko was stuttering, "I, well-ll, I ju-ust."

Rin laughed, "You love the guy, nothing wrong with that."

Anko pouted, "Fine, just don't go spreading it around. I've got a reputation to uphold."

Rin looked at Anko and rolled her eyes, "You really need to learn that you can show emotion sometimes."

Anko finally gave up on keeping her pride in this situation and just went to go make her room more suitable for two people. Who knew love was so damn complicated.

* * *

Iruka was worried that staying with Anko and teaching the kids would lead to some problems, but it turned out that it was actually kind of helpful. He found out things about them that made teaching them much easier.

He discovered Kakashi was some kind of genius, which didn't make sense considering his written tests. Iruka found it out one day when he was at the table doing some math in his head about some bills he had to pay. At the time he was mumbling to himself quietly, "Let's see, 24 times 58 divided by 4..."

Kakashi, who was eating lunch at the table, suddenly blurted out, "348."

Iruka jumped a little at his sudden answer, but found he was right after he did the math, "Kakashi, how did you know that?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Kakashi just did the math in his head."

Iruka wanted to see if it was just math that he knew about, "Who were the founding clans of the village?"

He didn't answer that question on the test, so Iruka was surprised when he said, "The Senju and the Uchiha."

Iruka frowned slightly, "Kakashi, you didn't answer that final half of the questions on your test, but you're clearly smart enough to have finished it. Why didn't you?"

Kakashi didn't seem to understand what Iruka was confused about, "I got bored with it, so me and Shikamaru played Shogi."

Iruka didn't remember them doing that, "I saw you still taking the test before the clock ran out, how could you've played Shogi with Shikamaru?"

Kakashi got up and put his plate in the sink, "We played on paper and handed it back and forth. Shikamaru likes playing with me because he says I'm almost as smart as he is. I even beat him every once in awhile."

Iruka couldn't believe it, those two weren't even trying on the academic stuff. At first he was going to protest, but in the end he decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth, "Alright, you and Shikamaru can play Shogi on paper in class, as long as you promise not to tell anyone I'm letting you and you actually finish the next test, you can play Shogi after you're done."

Kakashi smiled under his mask, "Okay, I'm gonna go train with my snakes with Mito and Naruto, see you later."

He also found out Mito was a surprisingly mature girl for her age. If he had to guess, he'd say that it was because she had worked in the hospital with her mother from the age of four. Mito more or less had come peace with the concept of death.

This little fact was discovered when he was reading a report about an old friend of his that had died recently on a mission. He was sitting down reading the scroll and was so invested in it that he didn't notice Mito was right behind him reading it.

Mito frowned, "Neurotoxin, that's a bad one. The people at the hospital were really in pain when they got hit with that stuff."

Iruka nearly passed out from fright at her appearing out of nowhere. Rin was right, those kids needed bells, "Um, you really shouldn't be reading this."

Mito frowned, "Why, I go to the Hospital with Mom and Aunt Rin all the time? I know people die, it's just part of life. That's what Mom always told me anyway."

Iruka blinked a few times in surprise, "You're lucky to know that so young, most ninjas have to learn that in the field."

Rin shrugged, "No use being all scared of it, we just gotta enjoy what time we've got. I'm gonna go over to Hinata's and play, can you tell mom for me?"

Iruka nodded and watch the small girl run away, these kids were something else.

Next, he learned that Naruto didn't seem to have any hard feelings about all of the stuff with the Kyuubi, which shocked him greatly.

Naruto had been reading a book with about his Dad, he read very well for an eight year old, and looking very hard at the what the contents were. Iruka had walked up to him, "Reading about your dad huh, he was a really great hero."

Naruto grinned, "Yeah, he so awesome he even stopped the Kyuubi!"

Iruka wasn't sure why he was happy when he said that, "You're not even a little made at him about that?"

Naruto shook his head, "No way, Uncle Jiraiya says I'm the only one Dad trusted enough to give the Kyuubi. That's awesome!"

Iruka had to admit, that was a good way to look at it, "Glad you feel that way, a lot of people would be angry."

Naruto smiled "Well not me. I think it's cool!"

Iruka also learned a little bit about Sasuke, although he wasn't nearly as forthcoming. To be honest the only thing he learned for sure about Sasuke was that he trust his brother more than anyone. He looked up to Itachi as his hero, he was what Sasuke strived to be.

Iruka had to say, he was really starting to like it here. Anko wasn't kidding at all when she said that this was just one giant family. He decided that he would stay here with Anko, it just felt like the right place for him to be. He'd tell Anko in the morning.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26, and it occurred to me that I haven't actually had a wedding in this whole fanfic despite having two couples get married in it. As I'm assuming you've already guessed, I will briefly be covering the wedding Anko and Iruka. Also I'll be having some interaction between the kids. Thanks for reading and please review

* * *

Another 9 months passed in the hidden Leaf. All of the clan heir's had turned nine years old and continued to do well in their studies.

Iruka had finally gotten Kakashi to give a little more effort on tests, which helped Shikamaru put a little more effort in as well. Of course as soon as the two were done they began to play Shogi and ignore everything else around them.

Sasuke had also been influenced by his cousin, Kakashi had ended up making Sasuke much more sociable. Although he had developed a bit fanclub with the girls around the village. It seemed that half of them had made a fan club for Sasuke because he had the loner factor going for him as well as being the last Uchiha their age. Well there was Kakashi, but most of the girls didn't see him as anything but that funny kid who always talked in the third person. The other half for Naruto because he was the Fourth Hokage's son.

Naruto was currently at the top of the class with Sasuke following close behind him. To be honest none of the students were doing bad, in fact this was by far the most talent generations anyone had seen in ages.

Hinata had developed a bit of crush on Naruto...well to be more accurate she was head over heals for the boy. Part of it was how hard the boy worked, but to be honest the biggest reason was the way he encouraged and inspired her. Many people in her clan felt she was too weak to be a clan head, despite the fact that she was one of the best in her class. Most of them wanted Hanabi to become the clan head as she was a prodigy with the Gentle Fist. Naruto always told her to ignore them and just keep working hard. Everything would work out in the end.

Sakura and Ino had taken a shining to Sasuke, although he didn't return the feelings at all. He may have gotten more sociable, but he still wasn't much for girls just yet. They weren't too obsessed with him though, they had to keep up with Hinata and Mito so they didn't have time to go too boy crazy.

That was the basics of the past nine months, well except for one little thing…

* * *

Anko sighed and followed Iruka, "Honey, where are we going? We've been walking for the past 20 minutes and you still want tell me where we're going.

Iruka smiled at him, "Oh you'll see, this is something real special I can't tell you about yet."

Finally after another 15 minutes they got to where Iruka was heading. It was a beautiful lake and Anko couldn't help but think it was familiar. Iruka smiled, "Do you remember, you told me after Orochimaru betrayed the village you were ready to give up on everything. Until you came here to get away from the village, you sat here and thought for hours about what you were going to do. You said that this lake is what made you realize that you couldn't let him win, that if you just gave up you'd be coward who wasn't worthy of being a ninja. You promised yourself that you'd bring the honor that Orochimaru stole from you and the snakes. It was the clearest your mind had ever been. I thought it was the best to ask you."

Iruka got down and one knee and Anko gasped, "Iruka-kun…"

Iruka opened a small box he had been holding, "Anko Mitarashi, will you marry me?"

Anko tackled him to the ground and smothered him with kisses, "Of course I will you idiot!"

Iruka tried to get up but Anko pinned him to the ground, "Oh no you don't, We're gonna stay here for a while. We need to celebrate!"

Anko and Iruka stayed there for the rest of the day until they finally went home to give everyone the good news. Everyone couldn't help but notice their messy hair and wrinkled clothes.

* * *

Kakashi stood with his friends as they got fitted for dress kimonos, Sasuke wasn't in the wedding but Naruto was so it was just those two who were being fitted. They were currently having a conversation about having to dance with girls at the wedding.

Sasuke was complaining, "Do I even have to dance with a girl at the wedding?"

Naruto shook his head, "No, but Aunt Rin says we are supposed to."

Sasuke groaned, "Why? It's not like we don't see them all the time at the academy."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "You just don't want to deal with your fanclub."

Sasuke nodded, "Well yeah, just because you tolerate yours doesn't' mean I have to tolerate mine!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "So girls like you, so what? It's not like you have to be mean to them."

Sasuke frowned, "Doesn't mean I have to dance with them either. So does that mean you're gonna dance with Hinata?"

Naruto didn't understand, but he flinched when the sowing needle pricked his arm, "What does Hinata have to do with anything?"

Sasuke couldn't believe Naruto even had to ask that, "She's like your number one fangirl, she blushes if you so much as talk to her."

Naruto thought about, he might actually be right about this, "I guess she does, but she's just shy isn't she?"

Kakashi laughed, "Girls who are just shy girls don't hide in bushes and watch you train, even Kakashi knows she like you...wait, how do you know if you even like a girl?"

Sasuke slapped his forehead, his cousin was a genius and an idiot at the exact same time, "If you thinks she's pretty and you want to be around her a lot, then you like her."

Kakashi nodded, "Oh...Kakashi thinks he likes a girl."

Sasuke wasn't expecting that, "Really, who?"

Kakashi didn't know if he should tell, "Um, Kakashi doesn't think you're supposed to tell people."

Naruto was glad his fitting was done, that dude poked him like 40 times, "You don't have to tell us unless you want to Kakashi, but we won't tell anyone if you do."

Kakashi figured he could trust them, "Kakashi likes Ino, or at least he thinks he does."

Sasuke's jaw dropped, "Why do you like that fangirl?"

Kakashi got defensive, "Ino is not fangirl, she just likes Sasuke."

Sasuke huffed, "Then why did she ask to be my date to the wedding."

Kakashi thought he already answered that "...because she likes you, Kakashi just said that."

Naruto chuckled, "He's got a point, she doesn't stalk you or anything right?"

Sasuke sighed, "No, but I don't think she'll like Kakashi if she likes me right now."

Kakashi shrugged, "Kakashi knows that, it's a crush, I'm not in love with her."

Sasuke couldn't really argue with that, "Yeah I guess. I'm still not dancing with anyone."

* * *

Naruto was training in the massive backyard of the Senju eastes going about his usual routine, when he suddenly remembered something Sasuke had said to him earlier in the day.

He picked up one of the smoke bombs he had been practicing with and tossed it into the bushes nearby, hearing a distinctive sound when he did.

Hinata ran out of the bushes with her classic, "Eeep!"

Naruto folded his arms and gave Hinata a funny look, "Why are you watching me train?"

Hinata turned the color of a bright red tomato, "We-ll, I...yo-ou see I-I…"

Naruto frowned, "Hinata, we're friends. Just tell me why you were watching me train."

Hinata took a deep breath, "I'm sorry. I get very nervous before I train and watching you helps. You're so brave and strong…"

Naruto didn't understand, "Why do you get nervous before training?"

Hinata looked at the ground and mumbled, "Th-he Hyuuga council, they do-on't think I would mak-ke a goo-od clan head. They're always jud-dging me and tell-ling me I shou-uld let Hanabi become cl-lan head."

Naruto couldn't help but think that Hinata wasn't just getting put down because they didn't think she was good enough, mainly because she was a very good shinobi. Naruto made a suggestion, "Talk to your Dad about it, I'm sure he'll stop them."

Hinata was skeptical at that, "I don't know, he pushes me ha-arder than any-yone."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Does he put you down," Hinata shook her head, "Then just ask him."

Hinata nodded to Naruto, "Than-nk you Naruto-ku-un."

Naruto gave her a big hug, which nearly made her faint, "No problem Hinata-chan."

Hinata quickly got out of there, her face turning shades of red that weren't normal possible.

* * *

Hinata knocked on the door to her father's office and heard he him yell, "Come in."

Hinata looked at her father and did her best not to stutter, "I've got something I wish to tal-lk to you about."

Hiashi motioned for her to sit down, "Of course sweetie, what can I do for you?"

Hinata shuffled nervously, "Well, the peo-ople who train me when you can-n't are insulting me…"

Hiashi immediately jumped up, "What, this is unacceptable! They will be severely punished for this!"

Hinata wasn't done, "It's not that fa-ather, I could deal with tha-at. They seem to be do-oing it at the regu-uest of the Hyuuga council."

Hiashi ground his teeth, "What specifically do they say?"

Hinata was starting to think this might actually work out, "That Hanabi sh-hould be the clan head be-ecause I'm too weak."

Hiashi leaned back in his chair with a very worried look on his face, "Why I'm I just hearing about this now?"

Hinata looked down, "You push me harder than an-nyone, I didn't think yo-ou'd care…"

Hiashi put his hand on her shoulder, "Hinata, I don't push because I think you're weak, just the opposite. They're putting you down for the same reason I'm pushing you so hard, they know you can do great things. I've wanted to be rid of cage bird seal ever since it took my brother from me, but I could never do it. You have a chance to change things, you're young enough to do it. They fear you Hinata, that's the only reason they're trying trying to destroy your confidence."

Hinata couldn't believe her father thought that highly of her, "Um...Thank you."

Hiashi smiled at his daughter, "Go get training, I'll be there in about half an hour. Don't pay any mind to the those fools if they start to insult you."

Hinata ran off to the training ground with a smile on her face. She had a chance to save Neji, and she wasn't going to waste that.

* * *

Anko stood across from Iruka, she was dressed in a beautiful kimono, with Iruka smiling back at her in his dress kimono. The ceremony was beautiful, amazing red roses and decorations everywhere. It was pretty much every girls fantasy, other than Anko swearing in her vows. At one point Kakashi leaned over to Naruto and asked him what one of the words meant and Naruto didn't know either.

The reception was the really fun part though. An open bar and karaoke where all the adults needed to have fun. As for the kids just listen to the music and danced the night away. Hana was dancing with Itachi, Mito managed to get Kiba to dance too after his sister asked her too. Sasuke turned down Ino for a dance but convinced her to dance with Kakashi. Hinata once again had to stop herself from fainting when Naruto asked to dance with her.

Yeah, it was fun night for all. They would've expected nothing less from the wedding of Anko Mitarashi...actually it was Anko Umino now.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27, time for some more with the kids and bit of politics as well. Oh, and while I'm thinking about it I should really tell you that I usually write these chapters 2 or three days in advance, so I apologize if something that you talk about in review doesn't come up for two or three days. Now, when I say politics I mean Danzo and as far as what he plans to do, it's the first thing in this chapter so you won't have to wait too long. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Danzo looked at the bottle he held in his good hand, 12 eyes floated inside of it similar to the one he replaced his right eye with. Although these were just normal Sharingan while the one in his head was a special one he got from Shisui Uchiha. He looked around the room he was sitting in, various beakers and containers held things he didn't want to think too hard about what they were.

Finally Orochimaru broke him out of his thoughts, "So you managed to get away from the village long enough to call that favor from me eh, good. What exactly do you need me to do?"

Danzo showed him the bottle he was holding, "I acquired these eyes after the Uchiha massacre and waited till I could get out of the village to use them. I want you place them inside of my body so that I can use them for the Izanagi. This a lot to ask I realize, if you wish to take one set of the eyes for yourself you are welcome to."

Orochimaru smiled, "Excellent, I can't use them myself because I need a body that can use the Sharingan naturally, but they'll still be useful for studying. Strap yourself to that table over there while I go get the necessary materials."

Danzo stood up and put the eyes on the table, "I know you well enough to know you're smart enough not to betray me, but just in case I've written a scroll that's to be released if I don't return in a week. I'm assuming you know how problematic that scroll would be for you."

Orochimaru laughed and walked out of the room, "I would expect nothing less from you."

* * *

Naruto waited by the gate happily for Gaara, him and his siblings were coming to visit everyone for a week. Him, Kakashi, Mito and Sasuke all waited by the gate for them. Sasuke turned to Naruto and asked, "So what're these kids like? I'm the only who's never met them before."

Mito smiled, "Oh they're great! Temari's really fun, Shikamaru likes to hang out with her because she's good at shogi, although she still can't beat him."

Kakashi smiled behind his mask, "She can't beat Kakashi either!"

Mito nodded, "And she's really good with wind style. Kankuro's good with his puppets too."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Puppets?"

Mito understood his confusion, "Battle puppets, it's a Suna thing. They fight using puppets with knifes and poison, thing like that. He really likes girls too, kinda like Kiba."

That left only one person, Sasuke asked his last question, "And Gaara."

Mito didn't even know where to start with that one, "Um, he's a little different. Don't worry though, he's really great!

Just as Mito finished saying it Gaara and his siblings appeared, "Hello everyone, it's been a while. We apologize for not visiting sooner, but we've been to busy training to come and see you."

Naruto shrugged it off, "Don't' worry about it, we've been crazy busy ourselves with training too."

Temari stepped forward and Naruto couldn't help but notice she was developing quite a figure, Hinata had just turn ten and he had notice the same thing with her, only she had developed even more of a figure and was two years younger than Temari. It wasn't like Temari was a small chest girl either, she was a B cub at age twelve, which was pretty damn impressive. He couldn't imagine what Hinata's gonna be like at her age. He blushed and shook himself out of the that thought and listen to Temari, "Hey guys, how've you been?"

Kakashi jumped happily, "We've been great, how about you?"

Temari giggled at his enthusiasm, "Great, we just find out that we're going to be coming here once every week or two!"

Mito liked the sound of that, "Really! Why?"

Kankuro finished that one, "Well, a shop here called The Iron Dragon that make really high quality weapons that are perfect for my puppets. I convinced them to let us come down here and let me get things for my puppets and other peoples when they'll let me. I'd love to stay and talk, but I've got to go there and pick up some stuff fight now. See you all in a little bit."

Kankuro walked away and Temari turned to Kakashi, "Where Shikamaru-kun, I wanna play him in a little game of Shogi. I think I can finally beat him this time."

Kakashi pointed towards the park, "He's over there watching clouds, he always got a Shogi board on him though. Did you need Kakashi to take you there?"

Temari shook her head, "No, I can find him on my own."

Temari left and Gaara walked up to Naruto, "You up for some ramen?"

Naruto nodded, "Come on guys, I can hear that ramen calling my name."

* * *

Kankuro walked into the Iron Dragon and looked around, this really was a nice store. He looked around for about ten minutes before he heard a voice behind him, "Hi, can I help you?"

Kankuro turned around and his jaw nearly hit the floor. The girl he was looking at was absolutely beautiful. She had brown hair and budding breast, not to mention a gorgeous face with full pink lips. He nodded, "Yeah, I'm Kankuro. I'm here to pick up some things for my battle puppets."

The girls eye lit up, "Oh wow, you're a actual battle puppet user. That's amazing! I'm Tenten, my parents own this place and I'm a student at the academy. Let me go get you some paper so you can write down what you need."

Tenten ran over a grabbed some paper, she dropped the pen though and had to bend over to pick it up. That's when Kankuro's heart nearly stopped, that girl had the nicest buns he'd ever seen, and he wasn't talking about her hair!

See brought him the paper and saw that he was sweating, "Are you okay?"

Kankuro nodded, "Yeah, just um, you know, you're really cute."

Tenten gave a small smile and blushed. That fact that he was a puppet user made her all the more attracted to him, "Oh, thank you. You're pretty handsome yourself."

Kankuro decided to take a shot in the dark, "Do you wanna go get a little something to eat when we get done?"

Tenten nodded vigorously, "Yeah, sounds great."

Kankuro couldn't believe his luck, a really hot girl who had a thing for weapons. He'd hit the jackpot!

* * *

Temari was so close to beating Shikamaru, she knew if she played her cards right she could win this. She decided to raise the stakes, "I've got a deal for you lazy boy."

Shikamaru didn't take his eyes of the board, "What deal's that?"

Temari smiled "If I win, I get to embarrass you in front of your friends."

Shikamaru wasn't sure about this, "And if you lose?"

Temari shrugged, "What do you want?"

Shikamaru thought about it for a minute, "I get to embarrass you in front of your brothers."

Temari nodded "Deal."

Shikamaru was about to make a move when he saw Temari taking her purple over shirt off, "What are you doing?"

Temari took it off and smiled, "Oh, I'm just a little hot that's all."

Shikamaru gulped, she was wearing a tight white tank top that clung to her body. It showed plenty of cleavage and was damp with sweat. He could see her black bra underneath and noticed she had started wearing fishnets on her legs. Shikamaru suddenly had trouble focusing, he wasn't even sure what move he was making at this point.

He made his move and Temari immediately made hers, "Check, I win. Did you even pay attention to what you were doing there?"

Shikamaru was about to respond when Temari leaned close to him making Shikamaru blush, "Better luck next time Shikamaru-kun."

Shikamaru couldn't believe he just got tricked like that...he had to admit, after what he just saw he wasn't sure he minded.

* * *

Naruto and Gaara talked over the events of the past few weeks, "And after the wedding we just kinda relaxed for the next few months."

It had been about nine months since Anko and Iruka's wedding, meaning that not just Hinata had turned ten, but all of them had. All of the boys had been feeling something new coming over them, suddenly girls seemed incredibly interesting.

Gaara asked Naruto, "Are those girls I met last year, Sakura and Ino, still crazy for Sasuke."

Sasuke found very quickly that he liked Gaara, he was quiet and seemed very nice. Although he had no idea that he had met Sakura and Ino, "Not really, they've been so busy training that they haven't been asking me out at all."

Gaara nodded, "Good, nothing worse than someone who won't leave you alone. My brother actually seems to find himself very girl crazy at the moment. Although all he's done so far is look from a distance."

Kakashi pointed at Naruto, "We keep telling Naruto he should ask out Hinata."

Sasuke shrugged, "Maybe, I still think it's kinda strange that she wears a sweatshirt in 60 degree weather though, she didn't do that last year."

Naruto blushed, "She says it attracts older boys if she doesn't."

Sasuke tilted his head, "Wait, have you ever seen her without it on?"

Naruto blushed deeper, "Yeah, we train together a lot. Why do you ask?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "You know why I ask, what was under there that attracts the guys."

Naruto was nervous, "Well she um...she has very big breast."

Kakashi went wided eyed, "But she's only ten!"

Naruto was blushing as bad as Hinata usually did, "That's the point! Can we please stop talking about this?"

Gaara didn't see what the big deal was, "Temari has breasts, those don't bother me at all."

Naruto banged his forehead on the counter, "Yeah, but she's your sister. They're not supposed to bother you."

Gaara would have to remember that, "I see. Care to go spare Naruto, I'm eager to see if you can get through my defenses."

Naruto was excited, he had almost beaten Gaara a couple times and wanted to see if he could beat him this time. He paid for his ramen and everyone hurried to the training ground.

* * *

Gaara got to the hotel they were staying in and found Temari and Kankuro in their own little worlds, "What are you guys thinking so hard about."

Kankuro wiped a little bit of blood from his nose and turned to his brother, "I just got back from a date. Just thinking about it, that's all. How much longer are we here for?"

Gaara got a drink and sat down, "Three more days, but when we start our other visits it will only be for a day. Half a day to get there, stay for one day, then another half a day to get back. Two day were all they would give us."

Kankuro was mumbling something to himself, "Three more days, I might get to kiss her a little bit too…"

Gaara raised an eyebrow, "Kiss who?"

Kankuro realized Gaara heard him, "Don't worry about it...why are you all dirty?"

Gaara looked down to see his clothes were indeed dirty, "Naruto and I were sparing, it ended in a tie. Temari, what are you thinking so hard about?"

Temari was smirking, "Oh, just how I'm going to embarrass lazy boy, that's all."

Gaara knew she meant Shikamaru, "Do you like that boy or something?"

Temari growled, "He's two years younger than me!"

Gaara shrugged, "So, mother was three years older than father."

Temari pouted, "Maybe a little, but that's none of your business!"

Gaara went to go get a shower, "If you say so, have fun embarrassing him."

Temari smirked again, she would definitely do that.

* * *

Danzo got back to the hidden Leaf with his new arm and a smile on his face. The Izanagi could not be activated inside of his arm making him invincible for ten minutes. Granted he could only use this power once, but it was still a major advantage for him.

page break

The sand siblings stood at the gate after their four day trip to say goodbye to their friends. Kankuro smiled at Tenten, "I promise to visit every single time I come here, I'll see you at least 3 time a months."

Tenten leaned in and gave him a kiss, something Kankuro had really come to enjoy over the past few days, "You'd better, I want to see my boyfriend as much as I can."

Gaara shook his head at his brother and his new girlfriend, "Thank god I don't have to hang out with them every time I come here. We'll have to spare again next time we come here Naruto, hopefully it won't end in a tie."

Naruto grinned, "Totally, I'm gonna kick your but next time!"

Shikamaru suddenly heard a voice to behind him, "Oh lazy boy!"

Shikamaru turned around to see Team behind him...wearing red lipstick? He had a bad feeling about this.

Temari walked up and leaned close to him, "Time to get embarrassed lazy boy! Pucker up!"

Shikamaru found himself attack by a barrage of kiss all over his face with one big one on his lips. His face was covered in red lipstick and he heard the sound of a camera clicking. Temari had gotten Ino to take a picture of the prank. Shikamaru tried to wipe all the lipstick off his face while his friends laughed at him, "Can we have a copy of that picture?"

Temari nodded, "Yup, I'll send you some. See you next time Shikamaru-kun."

The sand siblings left with Shikamaru still embarrassed, although once again he had to admit, the kisses themselves were nice. Sadly though, he'd never live this down.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28, the last one before the final exam for the academy. I was almost done with my last fanfic at this point. I really do want to thank all of you for your support with this fanfic though, I never imagined in a million years I'd get this much attention so soon. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Another year passed with more insanity and fun ensuing. The sand siblings visited once every week or two just like they promised. During that time all three of the siblings enjoyed very different activities.

Kankuro would spend as much time as he could with Tenten, he had really fallen hard for the girl. The two of them could spend hours talking about knifes and poisons. Tenten was very interested in workings of war puppets and Kankuro loved to hear Tenten tell about all the crazy different weapons they had come across during the time they had owned the shop. When they weren't talking about various things they were...well enjoying each others company. They hadn't gone to far just yet, but Kankuro was still more than happy with what Tenten liked doing with him.

Temari would spend his times hanging out with the girls and chatting. She found despite what she previously thought, she could be a bit of a gossipy girl at times. When she wasn't with the girls, she was enjoying her other favorite pass time, messing with Shikamaru. Though she really was fond of the boy, she wasn't going to miss out on an opportunity to have fun. After sending the pictures to Naruto, Shikamaru really did have a hard time living it down. Some of the older men cracked wise about how lucky he was while his friends just made fun of him. He was still more than willing to visit with Temari though, but he didn't play shogi with her unless she promised not to trick him again. Temari knew one of these days she would make him her boyfriend, but for the time being she would just screw with him.

Gaara continued to spare with Naruto, and the two continued to tie. Sasuke would spare with Gaara sometime as well, although he could never tie him like Naruto could. He came close a couple of times, but he never actually get close to winning. Naruto was able to penetrate Gaara defense slightly because he could send a nearly endless army of clones after him that would overwhelm him for a while. What really got Gaara though was when Naruto summoned one of his toad dampen Gaara's sand making it much slower. Once he did that they were on almost a completely level playing field.

Those three really loved their visits to the Leaf, they always got to do something fun.

* * *

Things at that academy had taken a bit of a strange shift. Hinata was no officially top kunoichi of her class, something she was very proud, although that was something everyone expected She worked harder than anyone, so most people saw that coming. No, the strange thing was the was the new teacher they had just gotten, Mizuki.

Mizuki was great at first, but there was one distinct problem with him. For some unknown reason, he absolutely hated Naruto. They didn't notice it at first, but after a few days they could really tell something wasn't right about the guy.

Mizuki was the one who had been grading the tests, he handed them out and gave Naruto his. Naruto looked on find he had gotten 10 out 25 on it, which didn't make any sense to him at all. Sasuke was right next to him, he had gotten a perfect score and had pretty much the exactly same answers as Naruto. Naruto walked up to Iruka and gave him the test, "Iruka-sensei, why are these wrong?"

Iruka looked over the test and frowned deeply, "They're not, in fact you got a perfect score. Mizuki, why did you mark these wrong?"

Mizuki grabbed the test and scowled, "Well, I can't read some of them. The handwritings too bad."

Iruka thought the handwriting was just fine, but figured maybe Mizuki just had bad eyesight or something, "Alright, well I can read them just fine so I'm gonna mark all these right. Don't worry Naruto, it'll be taken care of."

Naruto thanked him and sat back down, Mizuki glaring at him the whole time.

The next incident was a week later when Iruka was out of town. Apparently Mizuki realized that he couldn't try and go after the boy when Iruka was there. Mizuki saw the boy as a demoned, he thought the village was insane for even agreeing to let the boy become a ninja in the first place. His plan was to make sure the boy failed, but he had no idea how he was going to do it. To be honest the boy could pass right now if he needed to, so all Mizuki could do for now was hinder his progress.

Mizuki got up and looked at the class, "Alright everyone, I need you to make one clone for me."

The class got up and did what they were told, it was routine for them. Iruka checked on their clone jutsu once every few days to see how the kids were doing with it. Most of the kids could do it, but there were still a few who couldn't. Mizuki approved all the clone until he got to Naruto, "I said a clone, not a shadow clone, make a regular."

Naruto frowned, Mizuki knew he couldn't do that, "The fox gives me way too much chakra to use a jutsu that's that basic."

Mizuki smirked, "Well you'd better work on it, I won't let you pass if you can't do it."

It was Naruto's turn to smirk, "Nice try, Iruka-sensei already cleared it that I can use shadow clone instead."

Mizuki didn't know that, "Hmph, fine. Hard to believe they're letting you become a ninja if you can't even to an E ranked jutsu."

Kakashi walked him walk away and growled, he would so get him for being mean to Naruto.

Just an hour later, Mizuki was going through his desk and found a big surprise. He opened the drawer to find a snake jumping out of him. Much to Mizuki surprise he screamed, "I like marshmallows!"

The snake slithered out of the desk back to Kakashi with Mizuki screaming, "Is that your snake, why did you sick him on me?...And why did it scream I like Marshmallows?"

Kakashi was smiling under his mask, though Mizuki couldn't see it, "Yes, it's Kakashi's snake, he likes to jump out at people and Kakashi figures he's not hurting anyone so why stop him...Oh, and the Third Hokage taught him the marshmallows thing, it just kinda sounds funny."

Mizuki was about to punish him when Iruka got back. He was laughing, "Don't worry about Kakumei, he's just a little strange. You get used to him."

Mizuki ground his teeth, these kids were driving him nuts, "At least let me talk to his mother about it!"

Iruka shrugged, "I live with the kid, I can ask him not to scare you when I get home."

Mizuki couldn't believe it, he lived with those brats! He mumbled under his breath, "No wonder he's so nice to the demon…"

Mizuki didn't know Iruka's wife was standing in the doorway as the two had just gotten back from lunch with one another. Anko snorted, "Did you hear something Iruka-kun?"

Iruka shrugged, "No, did you?"

Anko walked up a few steps from Mizuki, "Oh, I thought I heard some annoying little noise, I'm not sure what it was."

Mizuki was sweating slightly, "Wonder what that could be."

She whispered so that only the two of them could hear, "I've got very good hearing. I won't tell my husband, but if you call Naruto a demon again I will send one of my snakes to bring me back your balls, got it?"

Mizuki gave a small nod and Anko kissed her husband goodbye, "I'll see you later sweetie, I'm going off on my mission."

So that's why Iruka wanted the first part of the day off, he wanted to spend some time with his wife before she left for the mission, "Alright, see you in couple days Anko-chan."

Anko left the room and Mizuki breathed a sigh of relief, Naruto really had some dangerous friends. He couldn't help but notice Anko shoot Kakashi and Kakumei and thumbs up before she left.

* * *

Mito and Hinata had been sparring for the past half and hour, Hinata had taken a slight edge so for. Finally, Hinata got one good shot to her and Mito took a tumble. Panting, she got up, "Okay, that enough for one day. How is your taijutsu that good?"

Hinata shrugged, "I don't know, I train a lot I guess," Mito was one of the few people she didn't stutter around.

Mito was sweating heavily and took of the sweatshirt she had been wareing. Suddenly Hinata said, "You too!"

Mito didn't understand, but when Hinata pointed at her chest she suddenly understood, "Oh totally, I get it from my mom."

Hinata took off her own sweatshirt, the two girls had C cups and they weren't even twelve yet. She set her sweatshirt next to her, "I don't usually wear it during training, but Naruto couldn't seem to focus when I did. Sometimes I forget to take it off."

Mito nodded, "Same for me, but with Kiba. The first time he saw them his eyes popped out of his head and he got a nosebleed. That's the last time I did that. I'd think you'd be taking of your sweatshirt to try and get Naruto's attention."

Hinata blushed, "Hey, I could say the same thing with you and Kiba!"

Mito was the one blushing this time, "Hey, how do you know about that?"

Hinata smirked, "Come on, you're at the vet's office all the time. No one likes dogs that much except for actually Inuzuka's."

Mito pouted, "Fine, but don't tell anyone else...hey, wanna have some fun?"

Hinata raised an eyebrow, "Sure, what were you thinking."

Mito giggled, "Temari's in town and she's screwing with Shikamaru again. I'm gonna help him get a little payback."

Hinata smiled, "Sounds like fun. Do you know where she's at?"

Mito nodded, "They went to go see Tenten first, they should be with her and your cousin."

Hinata got up and lead the way, Neji had been put on Tenten's team a month ago, so Hinata knew exactly where they were at.

* * *

Mito and Hinata quickly found that they had save the sand siblings from wrath of Guy and his new mini him Lee, "Yosh, Tenten may I spare with your boyfriend?"

Kankuro shook his head, "Not a good idea, every attack I have is designed to kill, not spare. Everything I have is drenched in poison or causes an explosion so big it'll break your bones."

Lee was about to rebuttal, when Mito walk up, "Hey Temari, how've you been?"

Temari was clearly happy to see them, "Good, it's always fun to visit the Leaf."

Mito set her trap, "Too bad you can't mess with Shikamaru anymore."

Temari looked terrified, "What, why?!"

Mito could see she took the bait, "Oh didn't you hear? He's dating Ino now."

Temari screamed, "What?"

She ran off to find Shikamaru leaving Mito and Hinata laughing. Gaara turned to them, "He's not dating Ino is he?"

Mito shook her head, "Nope, but at least now she might just ask him out and stop screwing with him."

Kankuro nodded, "Good, she's was going way too far with it. I don't know what I'd do if Tenten started teasing me like that."

Tenten giggled, "Keeping treating me good and you'll never have to find out."

They kept laughing happily as Temari chased after her little friend…

* * *

Temari found Shikamaru and smacked him, "How could you start dating Ino?"

Shikamaru rubbed his head, "I'm not dating Ino! Even if I was why would you care?"

Temari suddenly realized she had been tricked, "Oh, well because I…"

Shikamaru realized he finally had something on her, "You actually like me don't you," Temari nodded slowly, "Well if you say I can't date anyone else that means you want me as your boyfriend right?"

Temari sighed, "Fine, I was hoping to screw with you a little longer. Just don't go bragging around that you're dating a girl two years older than you."

Shikamaru smiled, "Fair enough, I wouldn't want the trouble that came with that anyway."

Temari gave him a little kiss on the cheek, "Well at least you're mature."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29, time for the graduation from the academy. Also my other great joy, Mizuki's comeuppance! Naturally I had to change it around a bit, but it still make sense with what I'm trying to do. On a side note, all the kids will be twelve now, so I'll be getting all the couples into full gear now. Although I've already got a few of them going, I'll be doing some explanation for the ones I haven't. Thanks for read and please review.

* * *

It was finally the big day, all of the kids were twelve now and was time for the final exam. The last year before graduation held a couple big events, Shikamaru and Temari getting together and the announcement of the new senseis mainly. No one knew yet who they would be, of course the teams wouldn't be made until the results of the test came in. It was almost time for the exam, and every kid in the village was just buzzing with excitement.

* * *

Naruto got up and jumped out of bed, running into the kitchen. Rin had gotten up early to make them all breakfast, just like Kushina had used to do for them. Kakashi was already awake and eating, to be honest none of them were actually sure if the kid slept as he was always up before everyone else. Rin smiled and made him a plate, "Morning Naruto, you ready for the big test?"

Naruto grabbed his plate and sat down, "Oh yeah, I'm gonna kick butt and become a real ninja!"

Kakashi swallowed the food he had been chewing, "Kakashi's gonna do great too...then play Shogi with Shikamaru."

Mito walked in the room next, "Morning everybody, what's for breakfast?"

Rin got her some food and set it on the table, "Eggs and bacon, you need your protein for today."

Mito got some silverware and asked Rin "Is it okay if Hinata and Kiba walk with us to the academy today?"

Rin shrugged, "Why not, the more the merrier."

Kakashi got himself his third plate of food, they had no idea where he put it all, "Oh yeah, Kakashi almost forgot! Ino wanted to walk with us today too."

Naruto didn't understand why she asked Kakashi instead of Rin, "Any reason she asked you?"

Kakashi didn't even look up from his food, "She asked Kakashi when she came up to ask Sasuke out one last time."

Rin was confused at the last part, "One last time?'

Kakashi nodded, "Yeah, she said if Sasuke said no this time then she'd stop asking because she would have to focus on ninja stuff and couldn't keep chasing him."

They were all a little surprised at that, who knew training was more important than boys to Ino.

Rin cleared the table and they all ran out to meet Hinata, Kiba, and Ino. You could just feel the excitement coming off from them.

* * *

The kids were practically bouncing by the time they got to the academy, this was the biggest day of their lives so far. When they got there Mito whispered something to Hinata and she nodded. Mito ran up to Kiba and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Good luck Kiba-kun."

Hinata ran up to Naruto and did the same, "You too Naruto-kun."

They ran off and Ino turned to Kakashi and shrugged, "Why not," she gave him a kiss on the cheek as well, "Good luck Kakashi-kun."

All of the boys stood there blushing and trying to understand all of this. Finally Naruto said, "What the hell was that about?"

Kiba didn't know, but he wasn't complaining. Akamaru barked in shirt and Kiba respond, "Really, a girl kisses me on the cheek and all you can say is 'she didn't rub my belly this time?'

Kakashi walked into the academy, "Kakashi's not gonna whine about it, it was kinda nice. Come one guys, lets go!"

The other two boys ran after him, no way were they gonna be late for the exam.

* * *

Obito groaned as he faced a Kages greatest enemy...paperwork. He'd been expecting becoming Hokage to be exciting almost instantly, but instead he got a never ending stream document after document, each of which was more tedious than the last.

Finally someone came in to discuss the new sensei's with him, "Sir, are you sure about all of these choices? Jiraiya I can understand, but her…"

Obito shot him a cold look, "Anko Umino has show she's a true Leaf kunoichi and I consider her a part of my family. I would suggest that you think things through before you ask something as stupid as that."

The man saw that he had crossed a line, "Right, my apologies. I'll be going now."

Obito went back to his work, "That sounds like a good idea."

* * *

First up was the written test, which most of the kids just blew through. It wasn't an amazingly hard test, to be honest even Iruka knew that this part wasn't as important as the other tests. The kids needed to be able to do math and things like that, but that wasn't the real reason they did that test. Only when question was looked at closely, and that was battle senorio. That kids would be given a situation and tools, then would have to tell how they would handle it. With that they would see what kids had a natural talent in strategy, Iruka figured that Shikamaru and Kakashi would do well in that area.

Next up, the accuracy test. Not really anything special, throw ten kunai and ten shuriken, try to get at close the bullseye as possible. No one had even the slightest issue on that one.

After that, the taijutsu test, one of the only ones everyone was nervous about. You had to fight the instructor for five minutes, at which point he would decided if you deserved to pass or not. Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, Kiba, Mito, Kakashi, and Choji all found that one pretty easy. Sakura, Shikamaru, (although he wasn't really trying) and Ino all did decently. Shino came the closest to failing, as taijutsu was by far his weakest area. The Sai boy, who still refused to really interact with anyone, did relatively well.

Last, but not least, the ninjutsu test. It was famously simple, one clone, one transformation, and one substitution. No one even broke a sweat on that section, Mizuki wished he could have told Naruto he needed to make a normal clone but Iruka was watching him like a hawk.

When the test was over and the scores were tallied up, it was time for the big announcements. Kunoichi of the Year went to Hinata, who only slipped up slightly on the accuracy section. Mito was close behind her, but still lost in the end. Everyone was then on the edge of their seats for Rookie of the Year. Finally Iruka stood up to announce it, "Well folks, we've got a tie. Naruto and Sasuke both got a perfect score, so we have to go to the tie breaker. The two of them will spare and winner will be declared Rookie of the Year. Meet me at the sparing ground in ten minutes."

Everyone jumped up to get ready, this was gonna be one hell of a fight after all!

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke stood across from one another and the sparing grounds. It was time for the big fight. To be honest neither of them cared about Rookie of the Year, what they both wanted was to prove they were the best ninja. Iruka held his hand up and motioned for the fight to begin.

Sasuke wasted no time, he immediately went though his hand seals and shot a fireball out of his mouth. Naruto had already been working on a plan of his own. He knew Sasuke would start with his signature move, and dodged it as soon as it was fired. Before Sasuke knew it, Naruto created a dozen shadow clones and sent them after Sasuke.

Sasuke threw some shuriken and launched another fireball at the clones. Six survived and descend upon Sasuke. The crowd was cheering at the fight, some routing for Naruto, others for Sasuke.

After clearing all of the clones, it was obvious Naruto was no where in sight. That wasn't good, he was one of the most mischievous people in all of the Leaf. Any time you couldn't see him, it wasn't a good thing. Sasuke suddenly found a massive ball of yellowish liquid flying at him much faster than he had time to react. He had barely had time to see it as it was coming at him from behind.

It hit Sasuke and covered him from head to toe, it didn't really hurt but he still didn't like not knowing what it did. That's when Naruto jumped out and yelled, "A little gift from one of my toads, that oil will fry you if you try to use anymore fire based jutsu. Looks like taijutsu and throwing weapons are all you've got."

Sasuke scowled, he was gonna have to learn more that just fire jutsus soon or head never be able to beat Naruto. He made one final charge at the boy and Naruto made three dozen clones and charged right back. Even Sasuke couldn't beat those numbers, the boy fell in three minutes.

Naruto picked Sasuke up and shook his hand, "Nice job Sasuke, took me a minute to figure out just what I was going to do."

Sasuke frowned, "If you say so, but don't get comfortable. I'll be coming for you soon!"

Naruto smiled, "I look forward to it."

Iruka walked up to them, "Congratulations Naruto. We'll get some ramen tonight to celebrate, my treat."

Naruto was more than happy to hear that. He couldn't wait to tell his aunts and uncles about making Rookie of the Year.

* * *

The whole family had gone out for dinner, luckily Iruka didn't have to pay for at all with Jiraiya, Tsunade, Obito, and Rin all being there. They all spent the day laughing and talking to one another. Kakashi told them all the story about his transformation test, "Then Kakashi turned into Anko and winked at Iruka-sensei! He got a huge nosebleed!"

They all started laughing and Iruka shook his head, "Why did you do that anyway?"

Anko was on floor rolling over in laughter, "Because I told him to!"

They all laughed and Naruto turned to Obito, "Uncle Obito, can you tell us who's team we're gonna be on, please!?"

Obito rolled his eyes, "Naruto, you know I can't do that. You'll find out tomorrow just like everyone else."

Naruto was about to complain again when a ninja came running in, "Sir, the Forbidden Scroll's been stolen!"

Obito jumped up and went right into Hokage mode, "Who stole it?"

The ninja handed him the scroll he had been carrying, "Mizuki sir, no one knows why yet!"

Obito got moving, "All of you stay here, I'll handle this!"

* * *

Mizuki had been running for the past half and hour, and was making fantastic time. At this rate he was going to make it to Orochimaru in no time. Mizuki stopped for a moment to take a break, but he heard a voice above him, "Honestly Mizuki, did you really think that no one would notice you stole the Forbidden scroll?"

Mizuki knew whose voice the was, "Lord Hokage, how the hell did you manage to get her already? I left no evidence at all!"

Obito rolled his eyes, "You're not nearly as good as you think, give me the scroll and they'll be no trouble."

Mizuki got into fighting position, "Well then come take it!"

Obito appeared behind them in less than an instant, "If you insist."

He grabbed the scroll of Mizuki's arm and threw him into a nearby tree. Mizuki scowled, he should have known better than to take on the Hokage.

* * *

Mizuki had been locked up the next day, Anko had fun getting as many answers as possible out of him. It would be her last interrogation for a while, after all, she was going to be a sensei soon...


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30, time for the teams to be decided. I did some switching around, but things are pretty similar. You'll see what I mean when I start the chapter, the only really big change is that I'll be switching Sakura and Hinata's places and of course Sai will be replacing Naruto. Well that's about it, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

The whole classroom was about to explode from the anticipation, they were finally about to find out who their senseis was going to be. There was a lot of speculation about who they could be, but no one really knew to be honest.

Iruka finally stepped forward, he'd never seen the kids pay this close of attention in his life. he got through team's one through 6 and finally one of the clan heirs got their names called, "Team 7, Hinata Hyuuga, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sai. Your sensei will be...Lord Jiraiya!"

The kids couldn't believe it, the legendary Jiraiya was actually going to take on a team again. One of the kids spoke up, "He's not going to take a team with his daughter on it?"

Iruka shook his head, "He can't, it's against the rules to be your childs sensei."

They all shrugged and accepted it, he went on to team 8 next, "Team 8 will be Sakura Haruno, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame. Your sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi."

The kids didn't really have anything to say about that one, it was nothing all that special. Next up, Team 10. They weren't going to do team 9 as it was still active.

Iruka cleared his thought and went to the next team, "Team 10, Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi. Your sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi."

No surprise there, everyone figured it would be the second coming of the Ino-Shika-Cho. They were very impressed that they were being taught be the son of the Hokage.

Finally, there was Team 11, Iruka smirked when he called out this one, "Team 11, Naruto Namikaze, Mito Senju, and Kakashi Uchiha. Your sensei will be...Anko Umino."

While most were surprised, Kakashi jumped up screaming, "Awesome, Aunt Anko will be our sensei!"

Mito was pretty happy to have Anko as a sensei, "Cool, it's someone we already know we like."

Naruto couldn't really complain either, "Do we call her Anko-sensei or Aunt Anko?"

Anko made her entrance at that moment, using smoke bombs for effect. She smiled at all three of them, "Great, my new victims!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "Don't you mean students?"

Anko waved him off, "Yeah that too. By the way, it's Anko-sensei when we're working and Aunt Anko when we're home."

Naruto shrugged, "Works for me, where do we go?"

Anko though for a moment then smiled, "My favorite picnic spot, the Forest of Death!"

Naruto and Mito looked terrified while Kakashi was still bouncing happily, "Wow, Kakashi can't wait!"

One of the assistants leaned over to Iruka, "Do you guys really picnic in the Forest of Death?"

Iruka sighed, "Oh yeah, once a week unless we're too busy. On the bright side some of the animals are pretty tasty when cook properly."

Anko looked back at her new students, "Meet me there in an hour, usually we'd introduce ourselves, but we know each other pretty well already. See you guys soon."

Jiraiya walked past her, "Hey Anko, how'd it go?"

Anko walked past and waved, "Fine, good luck with your kids, two of them look like emo twins."

Jiraiya frowned, "I'll have to train that out of them…"

Jiraiya walked in, "Alright, my three students meet me at training ground 7. We'll do the introduction there. See ya."

Hinata looked at Sasuke, surprised Jiraiya had left so quickly. Still, she shrugged and followed Sasuke with Sai not far behind them.

Kurenai and Asuma came in and did the same. Iruka was kind of sad to see his students go, but he still proud of how strong they had become. He had nothing but faith in them.

* * *

The Forest of Death was not the most pleasant place in the world. There were giant bugs of all shapes and sizes everywhere, and the plants were all poisonous. To be honest though, they were in better part of the forest, so it could be worse. Finally Anko showed up, "Hey gakis, how's it going?"

Kakashi was still excited to finally be a ninja, "Kakashi's great, he's on team with his family and everything!"

Naruto and Mito couldn't help but laugh, their cousin always was a funny one. Mito looked at Anko and tilted her head, "So if we aren't gonna introduce ourselves, then what are we gonna do?"

Anko suddenly realized she had no idea what they were going to do either, "I'm not actually sure, head home and prepare for the the test I guess."

They all went wide eyed, "The test?"

Anko nodded, "Yeah, it's not like that academy bullcrap was the real test. That's for me to give, see you later."

She ran off leaving the three of them dazed and confused.

* * *

Sakura, Kiba, and Shino wait patient for Kurenai. They didn't know much about her, but they had heard she was a very talented ninja. Apparently she was one of the village finests genjutsu users. Only the Hokage and Itachi could actually take her on in that area.

She came up at them and looked them over. The woman had an air of calm kindness to her, "Alright kids, first things first. Tell me about your likes, dislikes, and dreams. You in the glasses, please go first."

Shino wasn't much of a conversationalist, so he made his quick, "I am Shino Aburame, I enjoy studying insects and breeding new ones, I dislike fools who can't look past a person's exteroir, and my dream is to become the most powerful Aburame who ever lived."

Kurenai figured it would be something like that, "Alright, the boy with the dog, you're next."

Kiba smirked and Akamaru barked in excitement, "I'm Kiba, and this guy in my partner Akamaru. I like playing and training with Akamaru, I dislike people who aren't loyal to their friends, and my dream is to be the greatest tracker the world's ever seen!"

Kurenai had to admit, you couldn't fault the boy for enthusiasm, "Now the pink hair."

Sakura wasn't sure what to say, "Well, I'm Sakura Haruno. I like my friends and my mother, I dislike it when people tell me I'll never make it as a ninja, and my dream is to prove that you don't need to be from a major clan to be a great ninja."

Kurenai thought that she had a pretty good bunch, "Alright then, I'm Kurenai Yuhi. I like reading and training in my genjutsu, I dislike pervert who don't even have the common decency to hide it, and my dream is to pass a genin team. Well that's all for today, I'll see you all here for the test tomorrow."

She loved the sound of them screaming asking her what she was talking about as she walked away.

* * *

Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji had no idea what to expect from Asuma, they hadn't even heard of him until now. Most of the older ninja's knew him somewhat, he was a pretty big deal back in his heyday.

Finally he showed up, cigarette in his mouth, "Alright, what've we got here? I'll need your name, likes, dislikes, and your dream. The one who's sleeping, go."

Shikamaru sighed and barely opened his eyes, "Shikamaru Nara, I like sleeping, dislike troublesome things, and my dream is to marry and nice girl and have a couple of kids."

Asuma could see he wasn't going to get a real answer out of this kid, so he moved on, "Blondy, you're next!"

Ino didn't like being called blondy, but didn't want to piss of her sensei either, "Ino Yamanaka, I like flowers, dislike bees, and my dream is to be the best kunoichi the village has ever seen!"

Asuma could see she was rather girly, he turned to Choji, "Last one, what you got?"

Choji put down his chips, "Choji Akimichi, I like eating, I dislike people who call me fat, and my dream is to prove a chubby guy can still be an awesome ninja!"

Asuma saw he had a lazy genesis, a girly ninja, and a kid who was pretty freaking chubby. Not great, but nothing he couldn't work with. He told them about the test and then left them wondering what the hell they were supposed to do.

* * *

The last group waiting was Sasuke, Hinata, and Sai. They still didn't know much about Sai, he had taken to calling Sasuke Broody and Hinata Angel eyes. Sasuke knew Jiraiya pretty well, Hinata wasn't really a stranger to him either. Only Sai had never met him before.

Finally the old white hair man showed up, "Alright, lets get this part over with. Likes, dislikes, and dreams. Blue hair, go!"

Hinata did her best not to stutter, "I'm Hinata Hyuuga, I like my fa-amily, I dislike my clan council, and I my dream is to get rid of the cage bird seal."

Jiraiya had a feeling that's what she'd say, "Kid who's drawing, go!"

Sai didn't look up, "My name is Sai, I like drawing, dislike trying to remember people's names, and I don't have a dream."

Jiraiya got absolutely nothing from that, "Uchiha, go!"

Sasuke was already bored with this, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha, I like training with my cousin, I dislike fangirls, and my dream is to rebuild the Uchiha clan."

Jiraiya was glad they got that over so fast, "Alright then, see you guys for the test tomorrow!"

They didn't have time to ask him what he meant, he was already gone

* * *

The kids stood in the middle of the training ground with Anko smirking at them, this was one only parts about being a sensei that she was actually looking forward to. Granted she already knew that these kids would pass the test, but she was still more that happy to give it.

She pulled something out of her coat pocket...it was a snake, "Alright gakis, most senseis have to do a teamwork test now, but you guys were raised together so there's no point in doing that. This forest is full to the brim with different kinds of snakes, but you've only got to find this one. It's special because it's a summon snake, so it knows to avoid you. If you can find it before sundown, you pass."

Naruto felt that wasn't fair, "How are we supposed to find one snake in this whole forest?"

Anko shrugged, "Not my problem, I'm gonna give you guys one clue as to where he'll be hiding and you've got to track him from there."

Mito was about to object, but the snake shot out of Anko's coat and went into the forest. She started to walk away, "He went to visit his big brothers, that's all I'm gonna say."

Mito turned to Kakashi, "Can you summon Kakumei and see if he knows what she meant?"

Kakashi nodded, "Kakashi would be happy to!"

Kakashi went through the hand seals and summoned Kakumei, "What do you need massster?"

Kakashi told him what the hint and Kakumei seemed to know what she was talking about, "Well you sssssee, there issss a pit of massive ssssnakessss about three milessss from here."

Mito went pale, "Massive snakes...great."

Naruto couldn't help but be scared at how excited Kakashi looked about that.

* * *

Sorry, you'll get the next part tomorrow. See you then.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31, commence with the test!...It's hard to make a test sound exciting. I set up Anko's test last chapter, so I'll be explaining the other teams test in this chapter. You probably already figured Jiraiya would do the bell test, so I'll just tell you about that one now. The other two I had to think up on my own, so I hope they're okay. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Mito really didn't like the fact that they were heading for a pit of massive snakes. She was okay with Kakashi's because she knew she could trust them, but a bunch of big snakes she knew nothing about weren't nearly as comforting to her.

Kakashi was buzzing at the idea, "Giant snakes, that is so cool! Kakashi is gonna jump right in and wrestle one!"

Mito shuddered at the thought. For some unknown reason, anything with scales creeped her out, "Kakashi, please don't. I think they'd try to eat you alive."

Kakashi tilted his head in thought, "Wonder what it's like inside a snake's belly. Maybe Kakashi will get to find out…"

Mito couldn't believe the words coming from his mouth, "No, you won't! Naruto, talk some sense into him, he actually listens to you."

Naruto, who had been watching the whole thing in amusement, finally stepped in, "Come on Kakashi, you know we can't let you get swallowed by a big reptile. When we get there I want you to hand back with the rest of us and make a plan, okay?"

Kakashi was pouting under his mask, "Fine, Kakashi will just have one of his snakes swallow him when Kakashi can summon one that's big enough."

Naruto just sighed and figured they would cross that bridge when they got to it.

* * *

Jiraiya got to the training ground to find his three students waiting for him, something that he was very happy to see. Sasuke and Hinata seemed to be chatting to one another well Sai drew in the corner. He was gonna have to try to get that kid to open up a bit, hell he'd only ever even spoken to them once. That was gonna make this test very hard for them to truly complete.

Jiraiya walked up to them, "Alright people, ready for your big exam. It's not too complicated, once you get a bell, you pass."

Hinata noticed something strange, "Jiraiya-sensei, you're only holding two bells."

Jiraiya smirked, "Right you are, only two of you will be passing. The two that get the bells, I'll train."

Sasuke frowned, "That's not really fair, how can we just leave someone behind like that?"

Jiraiya shrugged, "Not really my problem, but I'm gonna be relaxing by that tree while you figure out how you want to fight me."

Hinata started stuttering, "Bu-ut you're a san-nnin. How are we su-uposed to be-eat you?"

Jiraiya walked over to the tree, "Don't know, don't care. Good luck."

Sasuke walked over to Hinata, "Well how the hell are we gonna pull this off?"

Hinata didn't have an answer, that's when Sai finally spoke up, "Kind of strange isn't it?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Sai finally looked up from what he was drawing on, "I've never heard of a two man cell before and he had three students before. Plus, he's far too powerful for us to beat single handedly or with all three of us. Why on earth would we need to do this?"

Sasuke and Hinata suddenly realized he was right, "Yeah, that doesn't make any sense at all. Do we just go up and ask him or what?"

Sai wasn't really sure, but he had an idea of what he wanted to do.

* * *

Sakura was extremely nervous, she'd worked so hard and her chance to be ninja was riding on this. She couldn't fail, there was no way she was going to mess up like that! Finally Kurenai came, "Alright, here's how this is going to work. I've hidden three objects in various areas of the village, all you guys have to do is find them."

Sakura didn't think that sounded too hard, "Alright, but how do we know what they are and where they are?"

Kurenai made this plan last night, it would be perfect for seeing if they could work as a team, "All of the objects have my scent on them and I'm leaving you some of my bandages, so you should have no problem finding them."

Sakura felt sick, "But sensei, I can't track like Kiba and Shino can!"

Kurenai did indeed know that, "You'll have to figure something out. You can't help each other either. You've got till sundown to bring me them. Good luck."

Kurenai vanished and Sakura was ready to cry, there was no way she could do this. What was she supposed to do? Suddenly, she felt something bite her hand and she was about to smack it when she saw it was one of Shino's bugs. She went to give it to him, "Shino, one of your bugs got on me."

Shino shook his head, "It's not one of mine."

Sakura didn't understand, "Shino, I know this is one of your bugs."

Kiba looked at Sakura, "It's not one of Shino's. Why don't you follow it, and see if you can't find out where it came from."

Sakura was still confused at first, until the bug flew Kurenai's bandage. It suddenly clicked in her had the Shino was trying to help her, "Alright, I'll follow the bug. Not like I've got anything else to go off of."

The bug flew away and Sakura started to follow it, happy that Shino was willing to bail her out like that.

* * *

Shikamaru was not looking forward to this, anything that required work really wasn't his thing.

Ino and Choji were relatively excited, but they were pretty nervous right now. Asuma walked up and looked over his new students. They would most likely be fine as far as the test went, he was more worried about them killing each other before it was over.

He woke up Shikamaru and told them, "I'm gonna be honest with you, when it comes to this test I'm pretty lazy. Almost as lazy as Shikamaru over here. I've passed one genin team and failed two others, and every time I've done the same test. If you can get me to drop a cigarette from my mouth, then you pass. You've got till sundown or till when I run out of cigarettes in this back. Lucky for you I just got a pack coming here, good luck."

Shikamaru sighed, the words good luck coming from someone who was testing you sounded annoying. He hoped the other senseis hadn't said that when their test started.

* * *

Naruto and the others finally found the pit, and those snakes were HUGE. It wasn't going to be easy, though on the bright sight they could tell pretty easily where the snake they were looking for was. Kakashi was of course begging to go in there, "Please, Kakashi will be careful, plus he knows snake better than anyone here!"

Mito had already decided that she wasn't going in there, and Naruto couldn't really argue with his logic, "Fine, but just get the snake and get out."

Kakashi immediately sprinted off the branch he was on and did a swimmers dive into the pit. Much to their, he popped less than a minute later, snake in hand, "Kakashi got him!"

Naruto called over, "Great, now get out of the pit and jump back up here."

Kakashi yelled back, "Are you sure you don't want to jump in, the snakes won't bite, they're stranglers. You just have to get out before they start."

For some reason that didn't comfort Naruto, "No, now get out of the pit before they start kill you already!"

Kakashi jumped out still holding the snake in his hand, "Fine, Kakashi still thinks it would have been fun though."

Naruto again decided to let Kakashi be, no use in looking a gift horse in the mouth.

* * *

Jiraiya saw that, after an hour, the kids were still just over talking to one another. He couldn't believe that they hadn't even tried to go after him. Not to mention they were actually talking with Sai. Apparently he'd been put through Danzo emotion killing program. The kid had no social skills, so he was impressed that they were all talking with one another.

He decided to walk up and see what they were planning, "Are you guys gonna come after me or what, you need these bells after all?"

Sasuke frowned, "If we thought we'd actually get them we would. Even if all three of us work together, we'll never be able to put up a fight against you."

Hinata nodded, "Yes, so we thought we'd get to kno-ow our ne-ew teammate Sai."

Sai actually gave a small smile, "Yes, Broody and Angel Eyes are actually rather nice. It seemed like a good idea to learn about one another if we're going to be a team and all."

Jiraiya thought about it, it wasn't about getting the bells in the first place it was about showing that they could have teamwork. To be honest, they passed, "Alright, you pass. I think you guys will work just fine together. Meet me here tomorrow morning, we'll start training then."

They all weren't sure why they past, but the figured they shouldn't complain.

* * *

Sakura ran up to Kurenai with the object in hand, turns out it was just a scroll that she had placed in a trash can. Guess she was trying to make sure it wasn't obvious. At first she thought maybe it was a scroll she had thrown away, but it said 'You passed' inside so she was pretty sure she got the right thing.

Kurenai saw that all three of them had there scrolls and nodded, "Nice job, I see Shino's bug was a great help to you."

Sakura was stunned and Kurenai laughed, "Don't worry, the whole point of the test was to see if you'd try to help one another. You guys all passed. I already knew Sakura wasn't as far along as some of the others, I wanted to make sure you weren't going to abbonded her because of it. I'll be personally training her genjutsu as her test showed she'd be good for it."

Sakura was so happy, she actually made it as a ninja!

* * *

Asuma looked around, he was expecting the kids any minute now. He wasn't sure how they would go about this, so he was staying alert. There was Shikamaru's shadow jutsu, Ino's mind control jutsu, and Choji's bolder jutsu. All of them had the potential to make him drop his cigarette. Much to his surprise, Shikamaru just walked up to him, "Um, should we stop the test?"

Asuma didn't understand, "Why, you're still walking?"

Shikamaru shook his head, "Didn't you hear? Kurenai sensei is pregnant."

Asuma was flustered for a second, but caught himself before he dropped his cigarette, "Nice try, but it's gonna take more than that to get me to lose my smoke Shikamaru."

The boy smiled, "Oh, actually I'm not Shikamaru."

He poofed away and Ino stood in his place, Asuma realized it was a double distraction. Before he knew it, he couldn't move, "Shadow possession success."

Asuma, unable to control his hand, took the cigarette out of his mouth and threw it on the ground. Shikamaru released him and Asuma smiled, "Nice job, but it wouldn't have been that easy if I had been going all out."

Shikamaru agreed, "Oh I know, I'm just glad this is over."

Asuma couldn't help but find his laziness kind of funny, "Fine, just meet me here tomorrow at the same time."

With that, all of the rookie 12 had passed. Most couldn't help but feel this maybe the greatest generation of shinobi that the world would ever see.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32, time to set up the mission to the Wave. I'm so happy that I finally got through all of the set up stuff, I was getting really tired of the boring stuff. I did my best to make that stuff interesting, but I can only do so much. Enough talk, let's get this started. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Kakashi held the demon cat, Tora, as far from him as possible. This was the third time this week they had to get that freaking cat. Naruto tired to hold it, but it hated him with a passion. Even worse, when Mito tried to hold it thought her hair was some kind of toy or something and nearly ripped it out of her head. It seemed to tolerate Kakashi, but he still didn't like holding it close to him. While it didn't scratch him, it would hiss at him every time he held it so he didn't want to take the risk.

When they got into the Hokages office, Kakashi was not happy, "Dad, why do you keep sending Kakashi's team to get the evil cat?"

Obito remembered having to get that cat, he hated doing that to his son but there was one thing he had that others didn't, "Kakashi, you're the only one it doesn't try to scratch, usually it tries to take someones eyes out."

Kakashi wasn't happy, but arguing with his dad never really got him anywhere, "Fine, just give Kakashi a new mission. Nothing boring this time too!"

Obito rubbed his temples, "Kakashi, you know I can't do that unless your sensei thinks you're ready."

Anko suddenly looked very pist, "Wait, all I had to do was say yes and we could go on C-ranks! Why the hell didn't someone tell me that, I wouldn't have even bothered with these bullcrap D-ranks!"

Obito smirked, "And that is why I didn't tell you. I guess you guys might be ready, but I'd be more comfortable if I sent another team with you. Would you mind if I sent team 7 too, I just it would be much safer that way?"

Anko was just happy to be out of the village, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's just get this thing going!"

Anko seemed more excited than her students, "Just let me get Jiraiya in here, it'll only take like half an hour. Read the mission scroll while you're waiting."

Anko pouted, "Fine, it better be at least decent."

* * *

Jiraiya gave out a big groan, "Come on, can't I just have some more D-ranks? Those don't require me to do anything."

Sasuke wasn't having any of it, "No way sensei, I've finally got a real mission and I'm not gonna pass it up. Right guys?"

Hinata agreed without even stuttering, although to be honest her stutter was almost gone at this point, "Yes, we're ready for a C-rank."

Sai showed some of the emotion he had learned to show in the past couple of weeks, "Sensei, have some faith in us. We can get through it without much issue."

Jiraiya could see he was beat, "Fine, who's the mission for?"

Obito yelled so that he could be heard past the door, "Tazuna, you can come in now."

An old man walked in the room and didn't like what he saw, "Only two adults and a bunch of kids, this is what I'm paying for?"

Kakashi looked at his father, "Dad, do we have to help this guy? He smells like he took a bath in booze."

Jiraiya and Anko weren't happy either, "I'm one of the sannin and Anko's a very talent ninja herself, you getting steal so shut the hell up and let us do our thing!"

Tazuna figured he shouldn't step on anymore toes, "Alright, I see we've gotten off to a bad start. I'm Tazuna, the legendary bridge builder. I just need some protection from bandits and what not. If you're really one of the sannin then you should be able to handle it just fine."

Anko growled at the man, "Fine, you get out of here and wait for us by the gate. Just keep your opinions to yourself old man."

Tazuna nodded, slightly scared, "Right, see you there."

* * *

Anko and Jiraiya were the first to the gate, other than Tazuna who was now very nervous of upsetting the ninja. The kids all came as fast as they could manage, every excited for their first big mission outside the village.

Even with all the excitement, the kids still couldn't help but be captivated by Kakashi's attempt to make friends with Sai. It was really an interesting sight, "Kakashi makes fireballs and summons snakes, what do you do?"

Sai was obviously quite surprised by how forward the boy was, "My jutsu's are all ink based. It's one of the reason's art is my hobby."

Kakashi was very interested at that, "Cool, what kind of art do you do?"

Sai raised an eyebrow, "Well, I paint and sketch things."

Kakashi was about to ask another question when Jiraiya cut in, "We can chat on the way, I thinks it's time that we head out. Of course Anko and I will be in charge, so do everything that we say without question. Although unlikely, we could end up in a fight at some point, if things get too serious I want you to let us take over."

Naruto didn't think that would be necessary, "Come on Uncle Jiraiya, we can handle ourselves."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, "It's Jiraiya-sensei out here, and you guys aren't as strong as you think. While I think the six of you could handle yourselves just fine for the most part, you're nowhere near Anko and I's level. Just get out of there if we tell you to."

Naruto didn't like it, but knew that it wouldn't do him any good to argue. They all headed for the gate to get the mission started. Anko figured this would be routine, but Jiraiya had been around long enough to know when things didn't quite feel right. The bridge builder seemed very nervous before he found out how strong him and Anko were. It seemed like there was something he wasn't telling him.

* * *

They had been walking for the past hour with absolutely nothing happening. Tazuna seemed to be on high alert for anything. Jiraiya was about to confront him when he noticed a puddle in the middle of the road.

Kakashi got to the puddle and just stopped in front of it, looking confused. The rest of the genin didn't understand what the issue was, but Jiraiya and Anko knew why he was curious. It hadn't rained in almost a month. Kakashi shrugged and walked away, but Anko noticed that he went through some hand seals discreetly.

Just as Jiraiya expect, there was a sudden puff of smoke and two ninja popped out. They were about to attack when one of them suddenly screamed in pain. The other one turned to find a snake biting his friend's neck. Naruto made his own hand seal and summoned a ton of clones. While one was trying to get the snake of his neck, Naruto was using his clones to overwhelm the other. Jiraiya decided enough was enough, he made a Rasengan in his hand shoved it into the one Naruto was after's stomach while Anko used her Shadow Snake hands to handle the other one.

When the dust settled and the two ninjas were tied up, several questions were asked. Although one of them had no bearing on anything, "Uncle Jiraiya! Can you teach me how to do that thing with you just did, that was awesome?"

Jiraiya nodded, "Well yeah, it was your dad's jutsu. I'm gonna show it to you one day, but righ now we need to figure out why these two were after us."

Mito tilted her head, "Who are they?"

Anko already knew that one, "The Demon Brothers, missing-nin from the hidden Mist. Around the strength of a chunin. By the way Kakashi, nice move with the snake, I'm impressed you noticed the puddle. Oh and Naruto, good job getting the other one while he was distracted."

Naruto beamed at the praise, "Yeah, I'm awesome like that."

Jiraiya turned to Tazuna, "Care to explain to me why you've got ninjas after you? It looks like this could be a B or even an A-ranked mission."

Tazuna looked down in shame, "I'm sorry, but I didn't have the money to pay for a B rank or an A-rank. Not with everything Gato's done to us."

Jiraiya started to get the picture, "Gato from the the major shipping company right?"

Tazuna scowled, "Yeah, him."

Jiraiya had a feeling he knew what all of this was about, "My spy network has gave me some info a few months back. Apparently Gato isn't nearly clean as he appears. He uses intimidation and theft to keep his company on top. If he came into a comunity like yours that is completely cut off from the rest of the world, he could have that place under his thumb in no time. Now what does that have to do with you?"

Tazuna suddenly stood tall, proud of what he was saying, "My bridge is our lands last big chance to be free of Gato. If I can complete it, we'll be able to get supplies from someone other than him and we might be able to get help from some of the other ninja nations. However, if I die they'll never have someone experienced or brave enough to complete it."

Jiraiya frowned, "Well, if everything you've said is true than things are only going to get harder from here. I've got my daughter out here and I don't know if I want risk her life like this. Maybe we should send the kids back and I'll just come with you.'

Mito glared at her father, "Daddy, I can take care of myself just fine! All of us can. We aren't just going to abandon this guy."

Sasuke didn't want to leave either, "No way, I'm not backing out of my first big mission!"

Kakashi was pumping his fist in the air, "Kakashi will beat anyone who comes after the old guy!"

Hinata agreed, "Yes, we promise we will not get in your way Jiraiya-sensei."

Sai looked at the old man and then back at his sensei, "It would be rude to abandon him,"

Naruto looked at Anko, "You aren't just gonna let him kick us out are you?"

Anko sighed and turned to Jiraiya, "I don't think they'll let us go without them. I've got faith in them, they'll be just fine."

Jiraiya could see he was beat, "Fine, but you guys better back down if we tell you to. This could get dangours. "

The kids all yelled in victory while Tazuna thanked his lucky stars he picked the Leaf to take this mission. Anko on the other hand was wondering what she was going to do with the two demon brothers.

Anko thought about it for a minute and then got and idea. She made some hand seals and summon a very big snake, "Hey Ryoko, do me a favor and get these two back to the village."

The snake who was apparently named Ryoko said, "Yessss, Missstresssss. I ssstay out of sssssight in the foresssssssst."

Ryoko then did something that had several of them in shock, he swallowed the two ninja whole. Mito look ready to throw up, to which Anko said, "It's so they can't escape. He'll spit right out when he gets to the village."

Kakashi piped up, "They're so lucky, they actually get to see inside the belly of a snake."

That little sentence cut the tension and had everyone laughing. It really was good they had Kakashi around, he always knew how to keep everyone for getting too serious.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33, I think you all know who we'll be meeting in this chapter. I've been debating how I'm going to play this part, and I think I've finally figured out what I want to do. Before we get started, I've gotta ask. Why did I only get two reviews on the last chapter? Not trying to complain, but I really need that feedback. Thanks for reading and PLEASE REVIEW.

* * *

Obito had no idea why had been called to the village gate, but when he got there all he could do is laugh. Most of the other ninjas looked terrified though. It was a snake that said he had a delivery to make to the Hokage from Anko. When he realized that this must mean something happened on the mission, he stopped laughing and asked the snake, "So what did she send?"

Ryoko opened his mouth and regurgitated the Demon brothers, much to their joy, "Oh thank god, it was disgusting in there. That snake lady was insane!"

Obito saw that there was a scroll attached to them and read it. He wasn't sure how to feel about what was inside the scroll. It told all about the complications with the mission to the Wave and that Gato most likely wouldn't give up. While he had complete faith in Jiraiya and Anko, that didn't mean he still wasn't nervous for the kids. However, he knew as Hokage that they could more than likely handle it and that it would be very beneficial to the Leaf if they were on good terms with the Wave when the bridge was finished.

He told the guards to go move the Demon brothers to the interrogation unit and went back to the office. At least he had gotten a nice little break from paper work.

* * *

Everyone was on high alert. They all knew that any second another ninja might pop up, and they he would likely be more powerful than the last two they faced. For the past hour they had been walking wave with nothing eventful happening. That was until Sai suddenly threw a kunai into the a bush for no apparent reason.

Jiraiya quickly addressed his student, "Sai, what the hell are you doing?"

Sai didn't even flinch, "I heard something in the bushes, just being careful sir."

Thats when a snow white bunny came bouncing out of the bushes, looking slightly terrified. Hinata went crazy on her teammate, "You almost killed a bunny! Why would you try and kill something that cute?"

Sai raised an eyebrow, "What does cuteness have to do with anything?"

Mito, who had dealt with animals when she hung out at the Inuzuka veterinarian office, noticed something strange, "It's the middle of summer, a wild rabbit should be brown this time of year. Why is this one white?"

That's when Anko screamed, "Hit the deck!"

They all went flat on the ground just in time to avoid getting their heads cut off by a massive blade. It embedded itself in a tree which an unknown ninja promptly landed on. Jiraiya knew who it was in a second, "Zabuza Momochi, so you're the one Gato hired to take out the bridge builder. Can't believe a ninja with your talent would work for someone like him, you were on of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen for pete sake."

Naruto didn't understand, "Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"

Jiraiya didn't take his eyes of Zabuza, "A group of famous swordsmen from the hidden Mist. They were considered to be the most powerful ninja of their 's only two or three of them left now. Zabuza is one of them."

Zabuza looked over the group, he didn't know any of the genin but he sure as hell knew the other two. This wasn't good, "Jiraiya of the sannin and the snake mistress Anko, no wonder the Demon Brothers didn't come back. Well I'd say things just got much more complicated for me."

Anko got into her fighting stance, "Ya think?"

Zabuza made some hand seals, "Guess I'll just have to even the odds a little bit."

The whole area was covered in a thick Mist that none of them could see through. Hinata even tried her Byakugan, "Jiraiya sensei, it's some kind of chakra mist. My eyes can't see through it."

Jiraiya nodded, "It's Zabuza's MO. He's one of the finest silent killers in the world. Make a wall around the bridge builder and leave Zabuza to Anko and me. This guy's way out of your league."

They did as they were told only to hear a deep voice off in the distance, "Let's see, what point to I want to go for. Maybe the liver, that's always been a favorite of mine."

The kids suddenly found themselves shaking. This guy's killer intent was insane, it was like a weight bearing down on you. Sasuke couldn't take it, he raised a kunai to his neck only to be stopped by Jiraiya, "Calm down boy, I'm not gonna let Zabuza get to you guys. You may not be at his level, but he ain't on my level either."

Zabuza scoffed at that, "Now now, lets not undersell me too much."

Jiraiya found himself being bared down upon by Zabuza and his giant sword. He caught Zabuza's wrist and slammed his palm into his stomach. Zabuza's body gave way and became water, "Water clones, is that the best you've got?"

Zabuza gave a dark chuckle, "Please, I'm just getting started."

Before the knew a dozen water clones were coming after them from all angles. Most of them came out of nowhere thanks to the mist. Anko remembered the Naruto was wind elemental and that Obito taught him one of the wind jutsu he had learned. She called over to her student, "Naruto, I need to use that wind jutsu you know!"

Naruto didn't know why on earth he would need to do that, but he also knew better than to argue with Anko. He went through his hand seals and pressed his hands to the ground, "Great Air Repulsion."

Air surround Naruto and swirled around the group, and the kids were almost knocked over by the jutsu. It wasn't particularly power jutsu, used mainly as a distraction or to blow something away. On this occasion, it was for the latter. The mist that was surrounding them clear thanks to Naruto's jutsu, leaving Zabuza's clones in plain sight. Without their cover, they didn't stand a chance. Jiraiya and Anko had the clones cleared in less than a minute.

Zabuza could see that he wasn't doing well, and if that kid was able to blow his Mist away then he didn't have snowball's chance in hell of winning against these guys. Looks like he would have to go all out if he was going to kill this guy. He sprinted his way onto the water and made some hand seals. Before the long the water under him started to stir. It began to form into some kind of dragon and Zabuza yelled out, "Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Jiraiya ran up and jumped in front of it, his hair suddenly longer than before. The wrapped around his body and became extremely hard and sharp. It hit the water dragon, which stopped it immediately, although the force did knock Jiraiya a bit. His hair returned to normal to find Zabuza and what must have been as many water clones as he could mange coming for Tazuna.

Luckily, Naruto was prepared. He had created three times as many clones as Zabuza and all of them were charging at the small Zabuza army. They kept the water clones busy so that the others could pick them off while they were distracted. The real Zabuza was trying to retreat, seeing as was obviously beaten, but soon found Jiraiya was chasing after him.

Jiraiya grew his hair out again and used it to chase Zabuza down. Before he knew what had happened, Zabuza found Jiraiya right behind him and wrapping his hair around him. Zabuza could see that the hair was still sharp and if he moved a muscle he would likely be dead. It was clear attempting to fight them was a mistake, "I don't suppose you intend on letting me go?"

Jiraiya shook his head, "No, you're going to tell me everything you know about Gato."

Zabuza didn't like being ordered around, "And if I refuse?"

Jiraiya smirked, "Then I tighten the hair, killing you instantly."

Zabuza was about to respond, when he stopped by two senbon needles being embedded in his neck. Jiraiya loosened his hair and saw some young man or woman, he couldn't really tell, jumping out of the trees, "Thank you for helping me, I've been chasing this guy for the past quite some time now. It is most appreciated."

Jiraiya scowled, "Didn't you notice I was trying to get information out of him? Why didn't you wait for me to finish my interrogation?"

The hunter-nin shrugged, "I couldn't hear you from where I was at. My apologies."

Jiraiya sighed, "Fine, just cut of his head, take the sword, and get the hell out of here."

The hunter-nin was suddenly quite hesitant, "I think I'll just take the whole body with me."

Jiraiya suddenly got very suspicious, "Why would you…"

The hunter-nin didn't answer, just grabbed the body and disappeared. That couldn't be good.

He walked back over to find Anko making sure everyone was okay, "No injuries or anything, everyone is just fine?"

Mito looked everyone over and nodded, "Yup, they're good. Hey,where's Kakashi?"

They all looked around to find Kakashi in the bushes petting the bunny. All he did was simply say, "Kakashi is keeping him."

* * *

After another half an hour, most of which was spent debating names for Kakashi's new pet, they reached the Wave. They were immediately met with Tazuna's Tsunami, "Daddy, you're okay."

Tazuna nodded, "Yes, thanks to these ninja. They saved my life twice."

Tsunami gave them a big smile, "Thank you so much. Please come in, let me get you some food. You must be great ninjas if you really saved my father's life twice."

Kakashi held up his new friend, "Can Kakashi bring his bunny in too?"

Tsunami found it a bit odd for a ninja to have a pet rabbit, but didn't see why not. All of them walked in and Jiraiya walked over to Anko, "Have you figured it out yet, about Zabuza I mean?"

Anko frowned, "Unfortunately, I have. If that was really a hunter-nin, then Zabuza would have lost his head and his sword. Taking the whole body makes no sense. If he was really taken out by senbon needles, then there's a good chance that Zabuza's just incapacitated."

Jiraiya and Anko both knew that senbon needles could be used to put someone in a death like state, which meant Zabuza was likely still alive. That meant they were going to have to face him again in the future, probably with reinforcements.

A few question still remain, who was that fake hunter-nin, just how many people had Gato hired, and how much time were they going to have to train the kids for this fight? Jiraiya and Anko had no idea about any of them, but they weren't going to sit around waiting for answers. They were going to make sure those kids were more than ready.

Anko looked over to see Kakashi still debating the name of his bunny, "How about Bugs?"

Naruto gave him a funny look, "Why would you name a bunny Bugs?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Kakashi doesn't know, it was just an idea. Maybe Shiromaru?"

Naruto thought about it, "Not bad, Shiromaru. Sounds perfect."

Kakashi was smiling brightly under his mask, "Okay then, Kakashi will name him Shiromaru!"

Anko smiled at the kids, everything seemed to be going pretty well. At least until a voice was heard in the corner, "Why are you guys even here? You'll never beat Gato."

Naruto frowned, "Who are you and what makes you say that?"

The boy growled at them, "I'm Inari, and you'll never beat Gato because no one can."

Tsunami hated it when her son was like this, "Inari there's no need to be mean to our guests."

Inari stuck his tongue out at them, "There too stupid to be good ninja's. They've had it easy all their life."

Kakashi was ready to sick his snakes on Inari, "Hey, Naruto's had to deal with a lot of really mean people in his life. People who said he was a monster he wasn't. Kakashi thinks that you shouldn't say things like that!"

Inari started to cry and ran away. Kakashi was about to go after him when Tsunami stopped him, "Please, just let him be. You have to understand, after his father died at the hands of Gato's men he sort of got the idea in his head that there no hero's in the world."

Kakashi didn't like the sound of that, "Kakashi will prove it to him then. He'll prove that there are hero's in the world!"

Tsunami smiled, maybe these ninja would be able to finally help her son.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34, time for some training for the battle with Zabuza. I will of course be introducing Haku of course. The big fight is gonna be next chapter, I'll probably have a hard time writing it as fights aren't my specialty. Although I gotta admit, over these past two fanfic, Politics in the Mist and A Better Route, I've gotten a lot better at it. If you have any tips for the next fight, please feel free to put it in reviews. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Jiraiya and Anko sat at the table eating breakfast with their students, talking over the fight with Zabuza, "Basically, we think Zabuza's still alive."

Hinata really didn't like the sound of that, "Is it really possible to make someone seem dead like that?"

Mito remember her mother telling her about something like that, "Yeah actually, my mom said that if you're really good with senbon needles then all you need to do is know where to hit. If he really did get put in a death like state, it will be about a week before he's back up to fighting condition."

Sasuke had to admit, he was impressed, "Wow, you're mom taught you a lot."

Her medical ninjutsu was something Mito prided herself on, "I wanna be just as good as my mom with med-nin stuff, so I try to learn as much as I can."

Jiraiya was very proud of his daughter at that moment, "Very good Mito. Now if we've only got a week, then I think there is only one thing that we have tree walking."

All of them said at the same time, "We can do that already."

Jiraiya was surprised by that, he knew Mito could do it because her mother trained her chakra control. The other's however came as a surprise to him, "Well then, guess we'll just have to move on to water walking."

Now that was something that was new to all of them. They had seen Zabuza do it and all thought it was kinda badass. They were all eager to learn it. Anko was smirking on the side, "Don't suppose any of you brought swimming gear?"

They all shook their heads, "Well guess you guys will just have just have to get your clothes soaked. Unless someone has a better idea."

Jiraiya hadn't thought of that, "I guess you're right. Sorry guys, but you're gonna be needing a change of cloths for training this week. Hope you packed plenty of them."

Tsunami had an offer, "Oh, they can dry their clothes on the line out there and just use them again the next day."

Jiraiya nodded, "Thank you, that would be perfect."

All of the kids didn't quite agree. Getting soaking wet in freezing cold water sounded kind of sucky actually.

* * *

All of them looked out over the water with slight fear in their eyes. It wasn't particularly warm out, and none of them felt like taking a dip right now. Naruto felt he wouldn't have to, "At least I've got shadow clones. I get all of their memories so I don't actually have to go out on the water."

Naruto suddenly heard a voice behind him, "You wanna bet?"

His feet left the ground and Anko stood laughing, "Sorry Naruto, but if they have to get wet so do you."

Naruto got out of the water with his teeth chattering, "Gee, thanks sensei."

Anko stepped on to the water to demonstrate, "Now, the key here is to put the right amount of chakra on you feet like you did with the tree walking. However, it won't be nearly as easy because the water is constantly shifting. You'll have to adjust with the water. I know this sounds difficult, but after you've done it enough you don't even have to think about it. Who wants to go first."

Kakashi ran up and gave a big jump, "Cannon Ball!"

Kakashi made a big splash and Anko got soaked, much to the kids joy. Anko glared at Kakashi, "You're supposed to try and stay above the water."

Kakashi shrugged, "Where's the fun in that?"

Anko pointed back towards the shore and Kakashi swam over. Anko looked back at the kids, "Okay, since Mito is the best with chakra control, she'll go first."

Mito gulp and timidly put her foot on the water. She added chakra to her foot and slowly took another step, then one more, "Hey, this isn't so har…"

She was cut off by the water giving way and her falling in. Mito got out with a look that said, 'Laugh, I dare you!'

Anko was actually surprised at how well she did, "Not bad for your first try. Hinata you're next."

Hinata put her foot on the water and turned on her Byakugan, most likely to keep track of how much chakra see was using. Very smart of her actually. She took more than a dozen steps before falling in. That water was just was cold as they thought.

Hinata got out and Anko looked at her, "Why don't you and Mito take those sweatshirts off? They're making this harder for you."

Hinata and Mito didn't really want to, but both did as she had asked. Naruto was the only one who had any reaction to it, as he kept occasionally looking over and Hinata and then quickly looking away.

Mito had enough of the two beating around the bush, "Alright you two, I'm done with this! Soon as we're done with this exercise you two go and talk your feeling out, or we'll just lock you two in a room together until you do!"

The others all nodded and Anko laughed, "Kinda the pot calling the kettle black isn't it? You gonna do the same with dog boy when you get back to the Leaf?"

Mito blushed, "Um...well I…"

Hinata folded her arms, "Yes she will. She's not making me do if she doesn't have to!"

Mito sighed, "Fine, lets just get back to the training."

Anko walked away while calling back, "Alright then. You guys know what to do so just call me if you need help."

They all nodded and got back to training, they wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

* * *

After about three hours the kids all came back to the house and got changed, then hung their wet clothes on the line. Naruto and Hinata were about to walk in the house when the door was shut in their face and Mito yelled, "You can come in after you guys talk!"

Naruto pouted, "Who put her in charge? How come she get's to tell us what to do?"

Mito called through the door, "I don't, it was a unanimous vote!"

Naruto mumbled, "Traitors…"

Hinata could see that they weren't backing down, "I think we better just go and talk Naruto-kun."

Naruto knew she was right, "Alright...I don't really know how to start this conversation."

Hinata shuffled her feet, "Well...I...I um...I like you…"

Naruto nodded, "And I like you…"

Hinata tilted her head, "Well then...what are we even debating about."

It hit Naruto like a ton of bricks, "Wait a second, we both like each other so why haven't we done anything about it?"

Hinata didn't really know, "Well, I'm too shy to really do anything in a situation like this…"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, "And was too scared that I was wrong about you liking me…"

Mito yelled out again, "Basically, you're both being morons! Now ask her out, hug, and get in here for some food!"

Naruto turned to Hinata, "Do you wanna grab a bite to eat sometime?"

Hinata smiled, "Yes, very much."

Naruto gave her a hug and the two walked into the house. People can really over complicate things sometimes.

* * *

After three days of training with water walking, the kids were exhausted. It even managed to drain Naruto's seemingly nearly endless energy. Mito and Hinata had nearly master the exercise, Sai wasn't far behind them, and Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi would likely have it completed in the next day or two.

Kakahsi was still out to prove to Inari that there were hero's in the world. He actually managed to sorta make friends with the boy, even if only a little.

Naruto had to work the hardest out of all of them as he had massive chakra reserves. He would often work late into the night simply so that he lose enough of his chakra to make the exercise easier. He had actually fallen asleep on a nearby stump one of the days.

* * *

Naruto had more or less passed out on a stump and was snoring rather loudly. Someone walked up to him and went to put a hand on his shoulder to wake him up. Naruto grabbed their hand and his eyes shot open, "Hey, what are doing?"

The person jumped back, "My apologies, I was simply try to see if you were okay."

Naruto looked to see a...well a person of some gender standing in front of him, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Naruto by the way, I'm a ninja."

The person smiled at him, "I'm Haku, I was out picking herbs for a friend of mine. You say you're a ninja, that must be a very difficult job."

Naruto shrugged, "Well yeah, I've got to train a lot."

Haku got rather serious, "Do you have some precious to you, someone you would protect with your life?"

Naruto didn't even hesitate, "Of course I do, I've my family and friends. No one's gonna hurt them while I'm still breathing!"

Haku's face went back to a smile, "Excellent, then you will truly become a great ninja one day. Well, I must get going. My friend needs these herbs after all. It was a pleasure meeting you Naruto."

Naruto waved goodbye, "You too Haku."

Hinata soon came over, she was looking for Naruto, "Naruto-kun, who was that girl?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "I thought he was a boy, but he was just person named Haku."

Naruto watch Haku leave scratched his head, "I'd really like to know if Haku's a boy or a girl."

Hinata wasn't really sure either, "I'd don't know, but I don't think it really matters. Let's just get you home. You must not have eaten in a while."

Naruto was pretty hungry, "Alright. Just so I know, do I ask Haku about it when I see him/her?"

Hinata thought about it, "No, it would embarrass him/her if you did."

Naruto walked back with Hinata, that was gonna bug him until he found out for sure.

* * *

Haku got back to the base to find Zabuza still in bed resting. It was surprising as it was rare Zabuza actually listen to Haku. Zabuza must have sensed Haku was there because he started stirring, "Did you bring the herbs?"

Haku walked over and knelt beside Zabuza, "Yes, you're going to be ready to fight in about three days."

Zabuza liked the sound of that, "Good. Our only hope is gonna be to get surprise them, kill the bridge builder, and get the hell out of there. If Jiraiya really is with them then we don't stand a chance in a head on fight."

A new voice entered the room, "You can't even handle one old man, pathetic."

It was Gato, the millionaire who had hired Zabuza. He was a short fat man with poofy hair. Zabuza was about to get smacked with his walking stick when Haku grabbed Gato's arm and broke it, "No one touches Zabuza-sama!"

Gato screamed in pain, "That brat broke my fucking arm!"

Zabuza laughed, "Not my fault, you're the one who went to smack me. Oh, and that old man you were talking about is one of the legendary sannin. Jiraiya is one of the strongest ninja's in the elemental nations. I don't think even you could afford to pay someone who's strong enough to beat him."

Gato frowned, "Fine, just see to it the bridge builder dies!"

Gato left the room cradling his arm and muttering to his men, "If they think I'm paying them now…"


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35, time for the final battle with Zabuza! You guys ready? I've been working hard to make sure this is a good fight, so it should at least be decent. The only thing that was really hard was making sure that Jiraiya didn't kick the crap out of him immediately. I think I've figured out a way though. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Jiraiya and Anko were very happy with their students progress. All of them had completed the water walking exercise, rather impressive since it had only been a week. Unfortunately, that meant they had finished just in time for the big fight. Zabuza was due to be fighting ready tomorrow, which meant that they would everyone at the bridge to protect Tazuna tomorrow.

Anko walked over to them, "Alright people, it's gonna be us versus Zabuza and who ever else Gato hired to take him out tomorrow. Jiraiya and I will be needed to handle any big fish which means you'll need to see to it that Tazuna is okay. I'm assuming you guys can beat any normal thugs they send at you?"

Sasuke smirked, "You think some thugs could take us out? Naruto's a one man army with toads to summon, Kakashi's really smart and can summon snakes, Mito can heal us and summon slugs, Hinata can see through any traps they might set, Sai's got his ink stuff, and I've a ton of fire jutsu to use with the toad's oil. Those lously thugs are nothing compared to us."

Jiraiya was glad to see that his students were confident. Winning in you head was the half the battle, "Good, can't have you guys too nervous. However, there's something we need to talk to you about."

Hinata didn't like how serious that sounded, "What is sensei?"

Jiraiya sighed, "Odds are, you'll all have to make your first kills tomorrow. I need you guys to be ready for that."

Sasuke had heard his brother talk having to kill people before. He had been too young remember Itachi's first kill, but he knew that Itachi never liked killing people, "My brother said that you never notice it when you're fighting, but the moment you stop you start to realize what you did. He said you never really get over, you just kinda learn to live with it. It's about protecting those who are important to you."

Jiraiya nodded, "More or less, yeah. You can't harp on it too much or it'll destroy. You've got to remember that you're doing it so other people don't have to. I've got faith that you guys will be okay. When it's all said and done we'll be here to talk you through it. Now go get some sleep, you've got a hard day ahead of you guys."

They all headed off to bed while their sensei began to plan for tomorrow. It was up to them to make sure that this village would be free from Gato's wrath. There was no way in hell they were gonna lose.

* * *

Everyone had been getting ready for the bridge for the past hour, everyone except for Kakashi that is. He had stayed up all night after Shiromaru had gotten out of his cage forcing Kakashi to track him down. Kakashi got back much later and was not ready to start fighting right now. Jiraiya decided to let him sleep, "Tsunami, can you tell Kakashi to come meet us at the bridge when he wakes up?"

Tsunami nodded, "Of course, I can't imagine he'll sleep much longe. You guys just head out and protect my father."

Jiraiya turned to the others and motioned to the door, "Alright folks, time to head out. This the last big day of the mission, so we'd better not screw it up."

Everyone headed out with Kakashi still passed out on the couch. Shiromaru had actually fallen asleep on his head as well, something that was utterly hilarious.

* * *

They got to the bridge to find corpses everywhere. Tazuna ran up to the one man who was still alive, "What happened, who did this?"

The man only said one word, "Demon…"

Jiraiya didn't need to hear anymore, "Surround Tazuna, Zabuza's already here!"

They did as they were told. Looks like the fight would be sooner than the expected.

* * *

Kakashi woke up to the sound of screaming, "Let my mom go!"

Kakashi opened his eyes and took Shiromaru off his head to find a thug with blade to Tsunami's throat with another standing next to him. Inari ran up and kicked the man in the shin, "I said let her go!"

The thug cursed and kicked Inari away. He pulled out a knife to finish the boy but before he could react he found a snake biting his wrist. He let go of Tsunami's neck and Kakashi took the opportunity to throw a kunai right into his neck. Kakashi's snake was already biting the other one while Kakashi stabbed him in the heart with a kunai.

Kakashi looked down in awe. He actually did, he killed someone. It felt weird, but he didn't have time to think about that, his friends weren't here and he need to know why, "Inari, where are Kakashi's friends?"

Inari pointed out the door, "They're at the bridge...sorry I forced you to kill those guys."

Kakashi shook his head, "Kakashi did what he had to. You were very brave Inari, it was thanks to you Kakashi was able to save your mom."

Inari smiled and was about to say thanks, but Kakashi was already on his way to the bridge.

* * *

A thick Mist had settled on the bridge, making it very hard to see. Zabuza was already putting his plan into motion, "Just give me the old man and there'll be no trouble."

Naruto scoffed, "Yeah right! You're going down asshole!"

Zabuza chuckled, "Have it your way. Haku, separate the students from their teachers. I can't have the whiskered one blowing my mist away!"

Naruto went wided eyed, "Haku…"

They were shocked at what they saw next. It was the hunter-nin from that had saved Zabuza last week. Hinata couldn't believe, "Haku, you're his partner?"

Haku didn't want to do this, but there wasn't any other options. Pulling some senbon needles out, Haku got in a fighting stance, "It's nothing personal, but it's something I have to do. If things had been different, we might have been able to be friends."

Naruto frowned, "Yeah, maybe. We can't let you have the bridge builder, our mission is to protect him. If you come after him, we will kill you."

Haku charged at them, "We'll see."

* * *

Jiraiya and Anko were now up against Zabuza who was hiding himself in the mist. Anko's snakes could sense heat, so they had at least had some kind of warning before Zabuza could strike. The only real problem was that the kids had to handle the fake hunter-nin, so it was up to them to keep Tazuna safe. In the mist, Zabuza's territory, that wasn't easy even for them.

Zabuza made another run for Tazuna, only to be forced to dodge Jiraiya's hair senbon. he never thought he could hate hair that much. Jiraiya laughed at him, "Even in this mist, you're no match for us. There's no way you or your friend are getting anywhere near Tazuna."

It was Zabuza's turn to laugh, "I may not be a match for you, but your students are no match for Haku. That kid's got one of the mists most powerful bloodlines, Ice Realse. Haku's my personal weapon, so those kids are as good as dead."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. He was gonna have to end this quick so that he could go help his daughter and the others.

* * *

The kids were starting to have trouble with Haku, the Ice Realse was absolutely ridiculous. Haku was able to create weapons out of ice and send them flying at the genin. It was starting to get real bad, that's when they heard a voice coming towards them, "Never fear, Kakashi is here!"

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, "Never thought I'd be that happy to hear his voice."

Kakashi jumped on the bridge and looked around, "Who's the guy at the end of the bridge?"

Hinata frowned, "I thought she was girl."

Mito nodded, "Looks like a girl to me."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Really, I think it's a boy."

Naruto shook his head, "That doesn't matter. Haku over there has the ability to make ice from thin air and make weapons from it."

Kakashi thought it over, this was a tough one, "Naruto, make as many clones as you can and Kakashi and Sasuke will charge behind them. Sasuke and Kakashi will sandwhich him in a fireball while Hinata keeps an eye on things. Sai will hang back and make sure Haku doesn't escape and Mito will stick with him and help. Plus she can heal us when it's all over."

Naruto couldn't believe it, less than five minutes and Kakashi had already made a plan that sounded perfect. Naruto made over a hundred clones and charged at Haku, followed by Kakashi and Sasuke getting into position. Haku looked around and could see there were no more options. When Sasuke and Kakashi got near, that's when the trap was sprung. A dome of ice began to form around them. They could see it was like a dome of mirrors, and they could see Haku in all of them.

Haku said three simple word, "Please forgive me."

* * *

Jiraiya and Anko were kicking the ever living crap out of Zabuza. Even with his mist, he couldn't get even remotely close to Tazuna. The moment Zabuza or one of his clones got anywhere near him, there's be some nasty little trick waiting. Zabuza was about to try and retreat, but there was a small problem. He couldn't leave without Haku, who was busy with the genin right now.

Zabuza was about to call over to Haku when he saw the ice dome, "Aw shit!"

Jiraiya followed his eyes and becoming very scared, "What the hell is that thing?"

Zabuza sighed, "Haku's best attack. Hate to tell you this, but whoever's in that dome is dead is as good as dead."

Jiraiya and Anko both went pale. Kakashi and Sasuke were nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Kakashi and Sasuke saw needles coming from them every direction. They could only dodge some of them, but the vast majority ended up in their bodies.

The ice cleared from the dome, all they saw where two bodies filled with ice senbons. Mito ran over to them, both of their eyes were barely open. Mito noticed something about them, "They look like Uncle Obito's. Is that the Sharingan?"

Haku hated doing that, "So they have bloodlines as well. Shame what had to happen to them."

They all sensed something new on the bridge, and could hear Naruto literally growling, "Nothing had to happen! You killed my friends!"

Jiraiya could hear a dark edge to his voice. He looked over and saw that his fear were confirmed. A powerful red chakra was pouring out of Naruto, "Naruto, calm down. You're starting to lose control!"

Naruto wasn't listening, "I'm in control. I know exactly what I'm doing!"

Jiraiya wasn't so sure, "Come on kid, this isn't you! Don't let the Kyuubi influence you!"

Naruto was about to take a step a forward when he heard a small voice, "Naruto-kun, please!"

Naruto could faintly hear Hinata's voice and he finally felt the Kyuubi's power dying down. Mito was able to tell as a medic-nin, "Guys, Kakashi and Sasuke will be just fine. It's just a near death state like what Haku did to Zabuza. Must have been what activated their Sharingan."

Jiraiya walked up to Naruto, "It's okay, she spared them."

Gato chuckled at the end of the bridge with an army of bandits behind him, "You two really are pathetic. Can't even bring yourself to kill. Take them all out, whoever kills the masked one get a bonus."

Zabuza turned to Jiraiya, "I think my contract just ran out. Feel like helping me to finish them off?"

Jiraiya nodded, "It'll be my pleasure."

* * *

We'll finish this up tomorrow. See ya then!


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36, the end of the mission to the Wave. Hard to believe I'm almost at the Chunin Exams now. Although I never really expect this fanfic to be as long as it has been. Guess I shouldn't complain though, it's gotten a pretty good following already. I just really hope that it keeps growing like it has. One big thing though, I only got one review on the last chapter. I really don't want to complain because I can't thank you guys enough for your support, but that feedback is how I know if I'm doing well with the story. Thanks for reading and PLEASE REVIEW.

* * *

Gato couldn't believe it, these idiot ninja were actually gonna try and take on an army. He didn't care how good of a ninja you were, this was a freaking army. This wouldn't take more than ten minutes.

He was close, the bandits were running after 9 minutes. Jiraiya would send a rain of hair senbon at the bandits while Zabuza cut them to ribbons with his sword. Anko used her shadow snake hands to hit multiple people at once and Haku hit them with more ice than they could handle. The kids didn't kill nearly as well, but all of them were forced to make their first kills. Sasuke and Kakashi had woken up and found that the Sharingan was pretty damn impressive after all.

Gato couldn't believe this, "What the fuck is wrong with you idiots? Just kill them already!"

What was left of the bandits began to regroup. Jiraiya was about to tell the kids to take a rest when he heard a small voice behind them, "Hey, get out of our village!"

Kakashi smiled at Inari's voice. He had brought the whole village with them and Gato growled at them, "Screw you! I've got an army behind me!"

One of the bandits shook his head, "No, you don't. These ninja were enough of a pain, we're not taking on the whole village."

Gato screamed at them, "If you want your pay, you'll stay here!"

The bandits started to run away, "Hell no, money ain't got no use if we're dead! Besides, I don't think you'll be paying anyone once these guys get done with you."

Gato looked at Zabuza, "Yo-ou! I'll still pay you if you keep me safe!"

Zabuza gave a dark laugh, "Because I can trust you alright. I'm afraid that people you cross me don't get to live."

Gato was stuttering, "Wai-it, we can ta-alk about this!"

Zabuza flung the sword off his back, "Too late asshole."

Gato didn't have time to respond, all he had time for was for his head to roll off of his shoulders. Jiraiya cringed, "Went a little too far there Zabuza."

Zabuza shrugged, "Whatever. I say we all go sit down somewhere and talk this shit out."

Jiraiya sighed, "Fine, come on guys. Let's head back to base and figure out where we go from here."

They were all pretty skeptical at the idea of talking things out with Zabuza, but Jiraiya had the most experience so they did as he said. Not like there was a need for anymore fighting anyways. Plus, they all felt that they owed Haku for not killing Sasuke and Kakashi. So they would at least hear Zabuza out.

* * *

Zabuza leaned back in his chair, not really sure where to start, "Um...I don't suppose the fact that I was being paid makes anything any better?"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, "If anything that makes it worse. How the hell does a ninja of your caliber find himself a thug for hire?"

Zabuza wasn't particularly fond of that topic, "I'm assuming that you know about the bloodline purges in the Mist?"

Jiraiya nodded, "You're Mizukage lost his mind and started killing off everything that had a bloodline. I'm guessing that's how you picked up Haku."

Zabuza remembered the day he found Haku quite clearly, "Yeah. Apparently once Haku's dad found out about bloodline, he tried to kill both Haku and the kids mother."

Jiraiya winced, "Damn, that's awful."

Zabuza frowned, "You're telling me. Once that Haku killed that bastard by accident, we met by chance and ended up traveling together."

Jiraiya figured it had been something like that, "Alright, still doesn't explain how ended up working for Gato."

Zabuza glared at him, "I'm getting to it, keep your pants on. I don't know if you know this, but the Mizukage actually ordered for the assassination of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist."

Jiraiya was pretty shocked to hear something like that, "Why in the hell would he do something like that. You were his most powerful ninjas?"

Zabuza couldn't agree more, "Yes we were, the only problem is that made us a liability. We had been on so many big mission that we had enough info on the Mist to send it tumbling down. So he order Kisame to kill all of us."

Jiraiya had heard the name before, "Kisame Hoshigaki, he supposed to have water jutsu as strong as the Second Hokage's. So he killed five of you guys?"

Zabuza clearly didn't like talking about this. He was shifting uncomfortably in his seat, "Yeah, I was on a different mission at the time. Only me and Kisame are left. Apparently, Kisame went a little crazy after he was forced to kill his comrades. After that I tried to off the Mizukage and, to be honest, I got my ass kicked. I'm getting as much money as I can so that I can use it to take that crazy son of a bitch down."

Jiraiya understood now why he did it, but he still didn't approve, "You had other options than working for a prick like that. Why don't you come to the Leaf with us? I know I can talk the Hokage into it and you and Haku can start over?"

Zabuza shook his head, "No, I don't think that will be a good idea. I really do intend to overthrow the Mizukage one day. Although I'm rethinking just how I'm going to be doing that now."

Jiraiya figured he would take what he could get, "Fine, but if you try to kill us again we will end you."

Zabuza shook his hand, "Fair enough. I'm getting Haku and we'll get out of your hair."

Jiraiya got out of his chair, "Alright then, we're gonna be heading out too. Maybe we'll see each other again, on better terms of course."

Zabuza was smiling under his mask, "Yeah, better terms sound a lot better than that shit on the bridge."

Jiraiya walked back to meet his students, "Agreed."

* * *

Kakashi kept looking at his eyes in the mirror, "Kakashi's gotta admit, these look pretty cool."

Sasuke laughed at his cousin, "You've just obtained one of the greatest tools in the ninja world and all you can say is that they look cool? You really are something special Kakashi."

Anko looked over them, they seemed okay but she had to ask, "You all okay? I know that you guys had to make your first kills today."

Naruto wasn't feeling great, but that was mainly because he almost lost control of his powers, "If we hadn't killed them they would have kept making the lives of the people of the Wave a living hell. If it was either them or the villagers, there's no question about it."

Anko smirked. These kids were pretty smart, "Well said gaki. No about the Kyuubi…"

Naruto scowled, "I know, it was so stupid of me. If I had lost control on that bridge I could have hurt all of you guys."

Anko put his hand on his shoulder, "Yeah right, it took us less than a minute to calm you down and you had thought your friends died. I was actually saying that we're gonna have to teach you how to control it's chakra so that you know how to use it properly. If you learn how to control the chakra, it'll be almost like you have unlimited chakra. Plus you'll be be much stronger physically."

Naruto gave a sigh of relief. They weren't made at him, "How are we gonna do that?"

Anko had no idea, "Not a clue, that's the toads sage's department. You'll be training with him after your usual training once we get back to the Leaf. I'll still be teaching you, he'll just be helping me. You're all gonna have to start doing some specialized training, the Uchiha boys with their Sharingan, Mito with her medical stuff, Hinata with her Byakugan, Naruto with the Kyuubi and Sai...I don't know what we can really help him with, but we'll find something."

Naruto was psyched, this was gonna be awesome, "We are gonna kick some major ass!"

Anko glared at him, "Only I get to swear on this team dammit. Once you can hold you ligure with me, you can say whatever the fuck you want."

Naruto could feel the killer intent coming off from her and didn't want to argue, "Right, sorry Anko-sensei."

Anko ruffled his hair, "I'm just screwing with you kid. Old enough to kill, old enough to swear."

They all laughed. She did make a good point on that one.

* * *

Inari had tears in his eyes as he said goodbye to all of his new friends. "Can't you guys stay in the wave, we need ninjas too?"

Kakashi shook his head, "Sorry, but we have to go back home and protect the people there. Don't worry, Kakashi knows that you guys will do just fine. You won't be dealing with anyone else like Gato anymore."

Inari wiped his eyes and gave Kakashi a hug. Kakashi turned to Zabuza and held up Shiromaru, "I know he's actually yours for the substitution stuff, but can Kakashi please keep Shiromaru? We've bonded."

Zabuza raised an eyebrow, "Um...sure. Not like I can't get another one."

Kakashi jumped up and down happily and Haku bowed to them, "I'm glad that we didn't have to kill one another. I hope we can meet again as friends."

Naruto didn't quite know how to say this, "Um, Haku, I've gotta ask this. To be blunt, are you a boy or a girl?"

Haku didn't look angry at all, "Don't worry. Most people can't tell, I think it's the close I ware. I'm a boy, despite the fact that I may look rather feminine. Just imagine the surprise Gato's men got when they made a pass at me"

Naruto and the others were glad that was finally cleared up. Although everyone who thought he was a girl was very surprised to hear otherwise. Zabuza shook their senseis hands one last time and headed out. The kids were actually sad to see them go, they had grown kid of fond of them...you know when they stopped trying to kill them.

Jiraiya and Anko turned to their students, "Alright, time for us to go too. Bet you can't wait to tell your friends you went on an A-ranked mission."

He was right about that. A group of genin going on an A-rank mission was freaking amazing. They couldn't wait for their parents to hear about this. Although Jiraiya wasn't really looking forward to explaining this to them. Especially his wife, whom he had a feeling might beat him senseless. At least he was used to it at this point, plus since they got married he and Tsunade would have makeup sex when it was over.

The kids continued to chat happily about who they would tell first while Jiraiya and Anko watched with smiles on their faces. Things really did end well, so they weren't going to complain.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37, time to set up for the Chunin Exams. I'm obviously gonna be changing things up a lot because of all of the changes I've made already. I won't be making changes that are too out there, just enough so that it makes sense. I'll be explaining some new things with Orochimaru also, so keep an eye for that. Well, that' about it. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Jiraiya looked over at the kids training and turned to Anko, "So what do you think, should we let them take it?"

Anko pouted, "But I just go em. Can't we wait another six months?"

Jiraiya knew how Anko was feeling. He'd been through this before himself, "So you're saying you'll be ready to let them go in six months?"

Anko was about to say yes, but she knew the truth, "No, I won't. I'm still not sure they're ready though. I mean they just made their first kills for crying out loud."

Jiraiya knew she had a point, "True, but what'll keeping them as genin actually gain them. They need actually experience, and as long as they're genin they won't get it."

Anko mulled it over in her head, "I guess you're right. They could pass that test with flying colors right now if they had to. Alright, get the papers ready. You know they're gonna flip because of this."

That was one of the things Jiraiya was the most excited about, "Yeah, I know. I'll go get all of the proper forms while you finish up with training. Don't worry, they're gonna nail this thing."

* * *

Jiraiya walked into Obito's office and found him groaning over paperwork, "I'm supposed to be the strongest ninja in this village, but the only battle I've had so far is with that pathetic traitor of a chunin. I guess that just means we haven't had any big problems as of late, but it's still pretty damn boring around here."

Jiraiya was glad he had some good news for him, "Not for long. You've got the chunin exams coming up, and this year you've got someone to route for too."

Obito raised an eyebrow, "Really, who's that?"

Jiraiya smacked his forehead, "Kakashi, who else?"

Obito broke into a big smile, "Really, you mean you're entering them?"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, "No, they're breaking in. Of course we're going to enter them. Anko's gonna enter her team and I'm entering mine. For a Hokage you ask some dumb questions."

Obito was about to object when a new voice began booming in the room, "So teams 7 and 11 will be entering as well. Yosh, this is most youthful news."

Obito cringed at Guys enthusiasticness, "Could you two please wait for the other senseis to get here? It isn't official until everyone's here."

Gai and Jiraiya both scratched the back of their heads, "Right, how long should that be?"

Obito banged his head on the desk, "About half an hour. You guys can help me with paper work until then."

Jiraiya started protest, "I never agreed to that!"

Obito handed them both a stack of paperwork, "To late. If you come here early then you're going to do paperwork."

Gai got a crazed look in his eyes, "Yosh, I will complete more paperwork than both of you combined. If I can't then I shall do 100 laps around the Leaf on my hands."

Jiraiya and Obito couldn't believe how insane he looked, "Right, you have fun with that."

* * *

Finally all of the sensei's arrived and Obito could start the announcements, "Alright everyone, you know the drill. I need your name, your team number, and the name of all of your students. Lets get started."

Before long Jiraiya was up, "I, Jiraiya of the sannin, nominate team 7, Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyuuga, and of course Sai, for the chunnin exams."

Obito nodded and wrote that down, "Alright then, and team 8?"

Kurenai walked up, "I, Kurenai Yuhi, nominate team 8, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Sakura Haruno for the chunin exams."

Obito didn't expect that, but kept on moving, "Okay then, Team 9?"

The moment that Guy had been waiting for finally came, "I, the Mighty Guy, nominate team 9, Neji Hyuuga, Rock Lee, and the youthful young Tenten for the chunin exams!"

Obito cringed at how loud he was, "Right...Team 10?"

Asuma pulled his cigiratte out of his mouth, "I, Asuma Sarutobi, nominate team 10, Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi for the chunin exams."

Obito was amazed that there were going to be this many rookie teams in exams, "Last but not least, Team 11?"

Anko smirked, she never thought she would say this, "I, Anko Umino, nominate team 11, Naruto Namikaze, Mito Senju, and Kakashi Uchiha for the chunin exams."

Obito was glad to hear his son was going to be competing in the exams. He wrote down the last of the names and leaned back in his chair, "Alright then, exams are in a week. Have your teams prepared to go by then. As you all know, we're hosting the exams this year so we've got to make sure everything goes okay. Keep your students from causing any problems with foreign ninjas in what not."

Asuma and Guy gave each other sympathetic looks. They were more worried about keeping their students hands off foreign ninjas. Shikamaru and Tenten would have their boyfriend and girlfriend here for an entire month, during which they weren't supposed to interact too much.

Jiraiya frowned as he thought about Naruto, "Will there be any Rock ninja's there?"

Obito sighed, "Yes, and we're keeping a close eye on them and Cloud ninja as well. Naruto won't be killed or captured by either of them though, we've got too much security for that."

Jiraiya had a feeling that would be the case, but just wanted to check. He decided to head out, "Alright, me and Anko are gonna go and tell the gakis. See you guys later."

All of the senseis nodded left to do the same. Obito looked at his desk which now had almost no paperwork on it. He'd have to get Guy in there more often.

* * *

Pain really wasn't sure if he liked the sound of Orochimaru's plan, "So you plan to destroy the Leaf with the help of the hidden Sand village? You're doing this why?"

Orochimaru gave one of his slimy smiles. He would have left the Akatsuki years ago if he'd had a suitable body to transfer into. However, with the Uchiha being massacred, he had no one that he felt would qualify. Now, the hidden Leaf finally had something to give him again. A new Uchiha that he could mold into his perfect body, "To complete my transformation of course."

Pain was afraid of that, "The Akatsuki have no interest in the Leaf at this time. If you don't want us against you, you'll stay away from them. It wouldn't be beneficial to us in anyway to risk two tailed beasts at the chunin exams. I don't want to hear you asking for the Akatsuki help in this insane plan of yours."

Orochimaru laughed, "Oh, I wasn't going to ask the Akatsuki for help. I'm simply being courteous by telling you that I'm leaving, that's all."

Pain narrowed his eyes, "Do you really think it's that simple, that you can just leave?"

Orochimaru nodded "Yes, I've been building my own hidden village in secret over the past 4 or 5 years. I doubt that you would be willing to take the risk of actually stopping me. You don't think there's anything anyone could do to keep you from getting the tailed beasts anyways. To you, I'm not a threat."

Pain waited a few moments, then chuckled, "I'm guessing you've already gotten an escape route planned and ready to go at any second. Trying to kill you now would just cause you to use your escape plan. Fine, leave if you want to. You're going to get yourself killed in no time anyway."

Orochimaru stood up and went to the exit, "We'll see about that."

Once Orochimaru left, Zetsu came out of his hiding spot, "Leader-sama's know about his plan for quite some time. She more or less had the same reaction you did. Orochimaru's too reckless to be any kind of actual problem. He won't get far in the Leaf, they're too powerful to be taken down by such a cheap trick. He'll most likely be forced to retreat with his tail tucked in between his legs."

Pain didn't seem to really care, "Good, go report to her and tell her about what just happened. We don't don't want her to think we're trying to keep her out of the loop. I'll see you soon Zetsu."

Zetsu nodded and sank into the ground. He was actually happy Orochimaru was gone. Nasty fella was always throwing things up and just being generally creepy. Good riddance to the dirty old snake.

* * *

Gaara and his sibling waited patiently outside of their father's office, rather anxious as to what this could be about. They already knew they were entered in the Chunin Exams, so they weren't sure what else this could be about. None of them were particularly fond of their father. As they had grown older they began to understand some of the things their father did, and didn't approve of them. It was his fault that the wind Daimyo had started out sourcing ninjas from other villages. He refused to work with the Daimyo, and before long the Daimyo refused to give him any work. The Fourth Kazekage was slowly killing the hidden Sand little by little.

Finally the secretary walked out and sent them in, "Alright then, your father is ready for you now."

Gaara and his siblings walked into the office to see their father with a dark smile on his face, "Good, you're here. We've got something very important to discuss."

Gaara sighed, "What is it father?"

The Kazekage chuckled, "We will be assisting the newly formed hidden Sound village in a surprise attack on the Leaf during the Chunin Exams."

Temari wasn't sure she heard that right, "Attack the Leaf, why the hell would we do that. At the moment, we're on great terms with them."

Kankuro mumbled under his breath, "No to mention my girlfriend lives there."

The Kazekage didn't seem to pay their objections any attention, "We'll be releasing Gaara's power while inside the hidden Leaf. It'll crush them completely."

They all got a lot of confusion at that. Granted, it wasn't widely known that Gaara's seal had been fixed completely, but their father definitely knew. Gaara couldn't just, realse it. Temari was about to object when Gaara stepped in, "As you wish. We'll talk to you soon."

The Kazekage nodded and Gaara and the others walked out of the room. Temari whispered at him, "What the hell was that? You know we can't do any of what father just said."

Gaara looked like he was in deep thought, "True, but that wasn't father."

Temari gave him a funny look, "Um...what?"

Gaara started to explain in to his sister, "He had a different chakra signature and he didn't know my seal had been fixed. It's pretty clear that we were talking to someone else in that room. My guess is it's someone from the Sound who knows they need our help to defeat the Leaf."

Temari growled, "Who the hell do they think they are? Trying to turn me against Shikamaru-kun."

Kankuro just thought of something, "Wait, then where's dad?"

Gaara knew the answer, but wasn't sure how to say it, "I believe he's dead."

Temari gasped, "But...who could kill a him? Father wasn't weak."

Kankuro agreed, "Yeah, he was a freaking Kage after all."

Gaara wasn't sure, "I don't know, but they're quite strong and very devious. We're going to have to alert the council and our allies in the Leaf about this. We should play along for now and find out as much about this person as we can."

Temari and Kankuro still didn't like it, but that was the best option. Things were starting to get very strange, and it was during one of the most hectic events of the year. Who knew what was gonna happen at this point.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38, the last chapter before the chunin exams actually start. I've been working hard on this stuff, so I really hope you guys like it. Also, I've been thinking about what kind of fanfic I wanna do next when this one is over. I was thinking it would revolve around the idea of Naruto being put on trial for stealing the sacred scroll, and the attorney who would defend him. It wouldn't be very long, but I really think it could be a good fanfic. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Naruto was the most excited he'd ever been in his life. The genin exams were awesome, so he could only imagine how great the Chunin Exams would be. Anko knew she made the right choice when she handed them the forms, "I'm glad to see you guys are so excited. All of the rookie teams will be there too. You gakis have made us real proud, I know you guys are gonna do great. I'm really gonna miss you. Don't tell anyone I got all mushy though, only you guys and Iruka-kun get to see that side of me."

Mito was practically bouncing up and down, "Wow, I can't believe they actually think we're good enough for the chunin exams!"

Naruto hand was shaking too much to actually even fill out the form, "Man oh man, we're gonna be freaking chunin! I can't wait to kick so much butt in that exam."

Kakashi seemed even happier than usual, if that was even possible, "Kakashi is gonna show everyone he's the real deal, not just the Hokage's son!"

Naruto was pretty happy he was gonna have a chance to get out of his father's shadow too, "Come on, lets go get some ramen to celebrate."

* * *

Naruto was running happily to his favorite ramen stand with his friends, when he suddenly sensed someone watching him. He turned around and groaned when he saw a decorated box behind him, "Konohamaru, rocks aren't square."

There was a puff of gunpowder and Konohamaru appeared with his friends Udon and Mogie, "Hey boss, how's it going?"

Naruto muttered under his breath, "At least they didn't overuse the gunpowder this time."

Konohamaru ran up to his hero, "Boss, will you play ninja with us?"

Naruto shook his head, "Not today, I was just on my way to get something to eat and then get training for the Chunin Exams."

Konohamaru broke out into a massive grin, "You're gonna be in the Chunin Exams? That's awesome boss!"

Mito giggled, "Don't eat too much Naruto, you've got your date with Hinata tonight."

Naruto knew the moment she said Konohamaru was gonna go nuts, "Boss has a girlfriend? Who is she, do I know her?"

Naruto shot Mito a glare, "It's Hinata Hyuuga, and unless I'm mistaken Mito has a date with Kiba tonight too."

Kakashi suddenly burst out, "Kakashi has a date with Ino-chan tonight!"

Naruto's jaw dropped, "Since when?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Everyone else had a date tonight, so Kakashi thought he should get one too."

_Flashback_

_Ino was training with Asuma and the rest of team 10, taking a break after about ten mintues. Then, out of nowhere, Kakashi came over and ran up to Ino, "Hey Ino-chan, wanna have dinner with Kakashi tonight?"_

_Ino looked surprised, "Wait, you mean like a date?"_

_Kakashi scratched the back of his head, "Um, Kakashi thinks so."_

_Ino thought about it for second. Kakashi was really nice, always telling her how beautiful she was and saying she was good ninja. It's not like she didn't like spending time with him, "Well...okay, when do you want to go?"_

_Kakashi was ecstatic she said yes, "Um, how about that place the Akimichis own next to the academy?"_

_Ino smiled, "Sounds great, is 8:00 okay?"_

_Kakashi was trying to keep from screaming, "Yup, Kakashi can go anytime?"_

_Ino could see Asuma was getting ready again, "I gotta get back to training, see you later."_

_Kakashi waved goodbye, "Yeah, see ya!"_

_End Flashback_

Naruto suddenly realized something, "That's the same place I'm taking Hinata."

Mito remember what Kiba had told her earlier, "And where Kiba's taking me."

Naruto got an idea, "Why don't we all just go together? We'll be way more comfortable that way."

That's when the sand siblings walked up and Kakuro told them, "Maybe me and Temari can bring our dates too."

Mito had to admit, this sounded like fun, "Alright, sounds good."

Temari leaned over to Mito, "Think maybe you could find one other girl so that my brother can come too?"

Gaara ground his teeth, "I heard that. Temari, I don't need a date."

Mito thought about it for a second. She looked at Gaara, "Actually, I think I've got someone you'd really hit it off with. You remember Sakura right?"

Gaara raised an eyebrow, "The pink haired one, yes. What makes you think the two of us would be a good match?"

Mito was surprised she hadn't thought of this before, "She's into the strong silent type, which you fit perfectly. Come on Gaara, I promise she's nice and really smart too."

Gaara had a feeling it didn't matter what he said, his sister would make him go, "Fine, I'll go. However, do not expect me to be good company for Sakura. Social interaction is not my strong suit."

Kankuro put his arm around his brother, "Don't worry bro, I'll teach everything you need to know about going on a date."

Temari rolled her eyes, "And I'll make sure that what he says doesn't scar you for life."

Naruto couldn't help but think this seemed like a really good idea. Hinata was a very nervous person and having her friends around would make things much easier for her. This date night was turning out to be pretty cool.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by Gaara asking, "Could you please direct me to the Hokage's office? I have something I need to discuss with him."

Kakashi was happy to, "Kakashi was gonna go see his dad anyways. Let's go Gaara."

Gaara followed him while trying to think of some way to explain this to the Hokage. It wasn't as though he really believed all of it himself.

* * *

Gaara walked into the Hokage's office and sat down in the chair across from Obito, "Gaara, to what do I owe the pleasure of you coming to see me?"

Gaara decided to just rip it off like a bandaid, "My father seems to have been murdered by an unknown person for the sole purpose of masquerading as him to take control of the hidden Sand. They want us to join the newly formed hidden Sound in a surprise attack on the hidden Leaf during the Chunin Exams. My siblings in and I know he is a fake because during the attack he wants me to realse the Shukaku. Our father would know that I can no longer do that as my seal was fixed by Jiraiya of the sannin."

Obito blinked a few times trying to take in everything he just heard, "Someone is pretending to be the Kazekage so they can attack the hidden Leaf. That's pretty hard to swallow. Do you have any idea of who it is?"

Gaara unfortunately didn't, "We have no idea. I've alright alerted the council and we've decided to pretend to play along for now. Our goal is to learn as much about the hidden Sound as we can for the time being. Of course we felt the need to tell the hidden Leaf about this and offer them to chance to investigate the hidden Sound as well."

Obito was very glad they were allies with the hidden Sand at this moment. A part of him was rather terrified though, after all he was about to go into his situation where he'd be sending people to their deaths, "It's greatly appreciated, we will do our best to repay you in the future. I'll inform my council as well and begin to prepare for the attack."

Gaara stood up and bowed to him, "Glad we could be of assistance. Thank you for your time."

Obito chuckled, "You just saved our ass, there's no need to thank me."

Gaara opened the door and scowled, "If you'll excuse me, I have to go prepare for my date."

Obito had never anyone say those words in a depressed voice, "Just a little tip, you should at least act like you're having a good time."

Gaara wasn't sure that was possible, "I'm not really the dating kind."

Obito didn't know weather to laugh or frown at the way kid was acting about a date, "Don't you like girls?"

Gaara really didn't want to talk about this, "Of course I like girls, I'm just not interested in dating right now. Although I will admit Sakura is a rather attractive girl."

Obito decided it was quite funny, "Sakura's a very nice girl. Just give this a chance, I'm sure you'll have a great time."

Gaara walked out, "Perhaps."

* * *

Sakura looked across the table at her date with curious eyes. Gaara would look at her occasionally and smile while doing his best to make idle conversation with her. It was clear he was putting an effort to make Sakura enjoy their date, and she was actually quite appreciative. When she first heard that she was going on a date with Gaara she was rather nervous, he wasn't known as much of a social person after all.

Sakura decided she would put in an effort to make Gaara feel comfortable as well, "So Gaara, are you very close with your brother and sister?"

Gaara nodded, "Yes, they're one of the few people I know I can truly trust."

Sakura frowned, "What do you mean? You must have a lot of friends back at the Sand right?"

Gaara wasn't sure how to say this, "Sakura, you know of my 'condition' correct?"

Sakura assumed he was talking about being a jinjuriki, "Naruto's got a tailed beast too, and he's got plenty of friends."

Gaara was very nervous he was going to scare her with this next part, "I couldn't always control my powers like he could. I'm afraid that I gained a reputation as a monster in my village."

Sakura gasped, "That must have been really hard for you?"

Gaara was surprised, she was actually quite sympathetic to him, "It's fine. I've got my siblings and my friends here in the Leaf. I'm managing just fine."

Sakura put her hand on his causing him to blush, "Well, if you ever need to talk to someone, I'm right here."

Gaara was actually starting to like this girl. Maybe this date wouldn't be as bad as he thought.

Next to Gaara, Naruto was busy talking to Hinata, "Hey Hinata-chan, does this place make good ramen?"

Ino had to fight the urge to smack him over the head, "You're on your first date and you're talking about ramen?!"

Hinata didn't seem to mind at all, "I imagine their ramen is very good Naruto-kun. My favorite thing here is the cinomin buns. I've got a bit of a sweet tooth."

Naruto laughed, "My sweet little Hinata-chan likes sweets. Go figure."

Hinata blushed at being called his sweet little Hinata-chan. This date was going excelent for her.

Kakashi was doing his best to be a gentleman to Ino, and was doing...okay. He brought her a bouquet of flowers...from her own shop that she made early that day. Then he pulled her chair out for her...right as she was about to sit down causing her to fall. Ino did appreciate the effort though, and his screw ups were almost charming. It was just impossible not to laugh with the kid.

Everyone gave Kiba a funny look he brought Akamaru with him for the date, "What, he wouldn't let me leave him home?"

Mito giggled, "It's okay, it'd be weird if he wasn't with you to be honest."

Akamaru jumped in her arms and proceeded to lick her. Kankuro joked, "Looks like Akamaru's gonna get more action that Kiba tonight."

Mito shoot Kiba a wink, "I don't know about that."

Kiba turned bright red and sat down, not really sure how to respond to that.

Kankuro and Tenten talked about the new weapons that had come into the shop and usual, and Temari and Shikamaru debated about whether or not the pincer flank strategy was any good in a battle between two armies.

All of the couples had a surprisingly good night. Really the perfect way to relax before the insanity that would be the Chunin Exams.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39, time for the start of the Chunin exams. It'll take about 10 or so chapters to cover the start all the way to the end of the Sound's attack, so sit back, relax, and enjoy. It could end up being longer, I've never actually had to write the Chunin exams arc before so I'm kind of playing it by ear. Don't worry though, I'll be putting my full effort to make sure thats as good as I can make it. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

The biggest day of every genin's career had finally come, the Chunin exams were here. The major villages had all sent their most talent genin for this exams...for varying reasons.

The hidden Cloud knew that they couldn't attempt to kidnap Naruto so that they could acquire the Kyuubi, that would lead to far too many problems. However, if he went willing, that would be another story. They had sent one how their most attractive genin, Samui a blonde bombshell of a girl, to seduce the young Namikaze. She was to bring her back to the hidden Cloud through any means necessary.

The hidden Rock wasn't far behind them, devising a plan of their own. They knew they couldn't kill the Naruto, no matter how much the desired to. The only thing they could do is make a sure Naruto wouldn't be against them in the future. Kurotsuchi, the Tsuchikage's granddaughter, had been sent to seduce Naruto as well. While the Tsuchikage wasn't happy about having his granddaughter do that, she was the best kunoichi for the job.

Things were going to get interesting in the chunin exams this year, there was no doubt about that.

* * *

Team 11 walked into the testing area to see that all of their friends were already there and waiting for them. Kiba ran right up to them, "Alright, the rookie twelve is here!"

Hinata walked up to Naruto and gave him a small peck on the cheek, "Hello Naruto-kun."

Naruto was happy to Hinata didn't seem too nervous about the exam, "Hey Hinata-chan, how's it going?"

The rookie twelve chatted happily, completely unaware that two people were watching them like hawks waiting for the right moment to strike. A blond cloud ninja walked up to them and she smiled at Naruto, "My my, those whisker marks on your cheeks are quite exotic."

She stroked the whisker marks with her finger for emphasis. Naruto back up slightly and gave her a funny look, "Um, thanks."

The girl stuck her hand out for Naruto to shake, "I'm Samui of the hidden Cloud, and you are?"

Naruto hesitantly shook her hand, "Naruto Namikaze."

Hinata didn't like the way this girl was acting towards Naruto, "And I'm Hinata Hyuuga, his girlfriend."

Samui frowne, this complicated things slightly, "I see. Well I do hope I wasn't stepping on your toes too much."

Samui knew she had to act quickly to make sure she caught the boys attention. She took off her coat, showing off her rather impressive body. Hinata smirked, "Not at all."

Hinata removed her sweatshirt. Much to Samui's dismay, Hinata's body was even nicer than her's. It was clear Samui was going to have to regroup and figure out how to handle this. This wasn't a mission she was allowed to fall.

Kurotsuchi snickered as she walked by, "Amerture."

Hinata could see another girl from the hidden Rock walking this way and sighed. When did he boyfriend get so popular, "Can I help you miss Rock-nin?"

Kurotsuchi looked Naruto up and down. This wouldn't be so bad after all, "Not you blue, but your friend can definitely help me. Names Kurotsuchi, and you're Naruto Namikaze right?"

Naruto didn't like the sound of this, "Yeah, what do you need?"

Kurotsuchi licked her lips, "Oh, just hoping that you could help me get some exercise in. I think we could give each other a great workout."

Naruto was pretty sure he got the message, "Sorry, but I get more than enough training in."

Kurotsuchi turned to Hinata, "I don't think this little girl could give you the kind of workout I could."

Hinata really didn't like this girl, "Oh, I could give him a very intense workout when the time came. Not that it's any of your business."

Naruto was turning the color of a tomato. He and Hinata hadn't gone anywhere near that far yet, but it still embarrassed him to hear them talking about it, "The only person I'll be working out with is my girlfriend, thank you."

Kurotsuchi could see this guy wasn't the kind of person to just cheat on his girlfriend, which was going to make things much harder on her. She started to walk away, "Just keep in mind that you and I could have a lot of fun together."

Hinata sent her one last glare, "I think you've had more than enough fun with the men in the hidden Rock."

Kurotsuchi stopped in her tracks, "Are you calling me a slut?"

Hinata could see she hit a sore spot, "I think you know what I was calling you."

Kurotsuchi was about ready to start a fight right there, "I'll have you know that I'm a virgin, and when the time comes I'm gonna kick your ass. After I'm done, this sexy guy over here's gonna pop my cherry, and I'm gonna make sure that you know when it happens to."

Hinata nearly smacked her across the face, "No you won't, because I'll be the one kicking your ass."

Naruto grabbed her hand, "Come on Hinata, let's go. We don't want to get in trouble."

They walked back to where the rest of the rookie 12 were standing and a boy who looked to be around 17 walked over to them, "You shouldn't draw attention to yourselves. The goal at this stage of the test is to keep a low profile."

Kiba didn't know who the heck this guy was but he did notice one thing about him, "You some kind of snake summoner, cause you really smell like snakes?"

The boy smiled, "I'm Kabuto, and no I'm not a snake summoner. Actually, I'm a bit of an expert when it comes to these exams. I've taken them seven times now."

Kiba's jaw dropped, "Seven times, how the hell have you failed this test seven times?"

Kabuto laughed, "This isn't an easy test. I wouldn't get too overconfident if I were you."

Shikamaru wasn't sure he liked the vibe he was getting from this guy, "If you've taken the test that many times you must have a lot of info on your competitors."

Kabuto pulled a stack of cards out of his pocket, "I've got one on every person in this exam. If you can name them I can give you their stats."

Naruto had a hard time believe he had that kind of information, "All right then, show me my card."

Kabuto pulled out a card and added some chakra too it. Naruto's face appeared with some information on the bottom, "Naruto Namikaze, son of the Fourth Hokage. Excellent with both ninjutsu and taijutsu, only real weak area is genjutsu. Has the largest chakra reserves in the entire village due to being the container of the Kyuubi and half Uzumaki."

Naruto's ear perked up at that last part, "How did you know that? Most people know I've got large reserves, but most people don't know that it's not just because of the fox. Hell, most people don't know I'm an Uzumaki at all."

Kabuto shrugged, "My adoptive father works in the medical department, he has access to all of those files."

Mito knew that wasn't true, "The only people who would have access to that info would be my mom or her apprentices, Aunt Shizune and Aunt Rin."

Kabuto suddenly found himself cursing the girl under his breath. He knew he had to change the subject fast, "We've actually got a new village her, the hidden Sound. There isn't many of them here though."

Mito was about to tell him not to try and talk his way out of it when Kabuto was forced to narrowly avoid a metallic arm smacking him in the face. Kabuto smirk, but before long he found himself in a lot of pain. He coughed up some blood and the owner of the arm whose face was covered in bandages said, "Put this on your cards, the hidden Sound is going to dominate this exam. We'll crush anyone who gets in our way."

Naruto was about to step in when a new voice was heard screaming at the entire room, "That's enough. If I see anyone else fighting I'll disqualify them immediately."

Everyone was left dumbfounded as to who this new man with scars covering his face and a bandana on his head was. That was until Kakashi yelled, "Ikibi-san! Kakashi hasn't seen you in forever."

Ikibi actually smiled at him, "Kakashi, you're in this exam eh? This oughta be good." He turned to the rest of the room, "Get in your seats and get ready! I'm the first proctor of this exam and I won't be taking shit from any of you!"

All of the kids got to their seats in record time. Sakura, who had ended up next to Kakashi, leaned over to him and asked, "How do you know that guy?"

Kakashi was smiling under his mask, "Oh that's just Ikibi-san, he's awesome. He's the head of the torture and interrogation unit."

Sakura went pale, "And he's the proctor of this part of the exam?"

Kakashi actually seemed happy about it, "Yeah. Don't worry though, he might act mean but he's just a big teddy bear."

Ikibi started to yell again, "All of you will be deducted points every time I see you cheating! If I catch you three times, your ass is on the curb!"

Sakura looked at the angry faced proctor again, "Scariest teddy bear I've ever seen."

* * *

It didn't take the kids long to figure out something was up with this test. These question were almost impossible. The average person might know one or two of these but no one could know enough of these to pass.

Naruto banged his head on the desk, he only knew the answer to one of the questions on this whole thing. There was no way he was gonna pass this test on his own. He needed to figure out some way to cheat on this thing. Wait a minute...was he supposed to cheat. No one could ever pass this test on their own, but if they knew what they were doing they could get the answers from everyone else. That's was it, that was why you could cheat twice and still stay in the test. It wasn't about knowing your stuff, if was about information gathering.

Naruto smirked and made some hand sign in manor the no one would notice. He summoned a very small toad in his hand and did his best to hide the smoke that came with it. Once he was sure the proctors hadn't noticed, he sent the toad out to get a look at the other tests. After about ten minutes, the toad came back and started to whisper the answers to the test in Naruto's ear.

Once Naruto had gotten his questions finished, he leaned back and waited for whatever was coming next.

Mito, who was a few seat down from Naruto, wrote something special on the bottom of her test, 'That Kabuto person knows things that you could only know if you had access to the Leaf's medical files. Kiba's says he smells like snakes too, but Kabuto insists he's not a summoner. Keep an eye on him.'

Ikibi got up front and got everyone's attention, "Alright people, time for the last question. This one is do or die!"

Sakura raised her hand, "What do you mean 'do or die?'"

Ikibi gave devious smirk, "I mean that you can choose not to take this question, but if you take it and get it wrong you can never take the Chunin Exam again."

* * *

Cliffhanger, see you guys tomorrow.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40, on with the next part of the exam. As you've probably already figured out, Anko won't be the proctor for part two of the exam because she's a sensei. I'm sure most of you have already figured out who I'm putting in her place too, but if you haven't I won't spoil it here. Let's end the first exam and begin the second one! As always, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Ikibi watched all of the kid reactions at the idea of staying a genin for their entire lives and had to contain his laughter. One boy yelled out, "You can't do that, there are plenty of people here who've taken the exam more than once!"

Ikibi shrugged, "Well I'm the proctor this year, so I can do anything I want. Guess you guys just drew the short straw."

Everyone looked terrified, how could the risk their entire careers like that? Several of them stood up to leave until a new voice shouted out, "Screw you!"

Ikibi found the source, which turned out to be no other than Naruto Namikaze, "Screw me huh? What makes ya say that?"

Naruto folded his arms, "We're ninja, you really think you can scare us away that easily? We don't just get to back out on a mission because it's too dangerous, we keep going. You think that being a genin scares me, who gives a crap? Most of these ranks are bullshit anyway. If you're the strongest ninja in the whole village, are they gonna keep sending you on C-ranks because you're a genin? Hell no! Bring on your stupid question, cause I'm not backing down!"

Almost all of the kids who had gotten sat right back down. Ikibi was actually impressed, "Not bad kid, you've got a lot of guts. Everyone who stay...passes."

Temari was the first to scream, "What? What about the ten question?"

Ikibi chuckled, "You've already answered. The blond kid over here was absolutely right. A ninja doesn't get to back down when things get scary. They've got to be ready to continue on no matter how bad things look. If any of you want to make it as a shinobi, you've gotta have some pretty big balls. Congratulations, you're all moving on to the second test."

Several ninjas looked at Naruto in a very greatful manor. If it wasn't for his outburst, most of them would have walked right out. Ikibi looked at paper he had laying on the desk, "The proctor for the second exam should be here in about…"

A new voice entered the room, "Actually, I came a little early. Excellent show by the way Naruto."

Sasuke gave small smile when he saw who it was, "Itachi."

Itachi gave a small nod to Sasuke, "Little brother."

Ikibi walked over to Itachi, "Just give us a few minutes to collect the test and they're all yours."

Itachi didn't have any problems with that, "Sounds excellent. Once the tests are collect simply send them over to the forest of death where I will prepare them for the second portion of the exam."

Itachi left and Ikibi started to have the ninjas gather the test. Mito wanted to make sure that Ikibi read hers carefully, so she walked over to him and handed it to him personally, "Ikibi-san, I've got something special written in mine. It's very important that you read it."

Ikibi took it and opened the scroll. It didn't take long for him to figure why Mito had wanted him to read it, "Give this to the Hokage as soon as possible. We may have got something here."

He handed the scroll to an assistant who then left the room. All of the proctors had been noted to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Ikibi was certain that qualified.

* * *

Obito, who had been reading a recent message sent from the hidden Sand at the time, was suddenly broken out of his thoughts by a man bursting into his office, "Sir, we've got something very important we'd like you to see."

Obito took the scroll he had been carrying and read it over. Looks like they might have caught a rat in their midst, "Tell the proctors to keep a close eye on Kabuto and bring me his file too. I want to know everything we've got on this kid."

The man bowed and headed out, "Right away lord Hokage."

This note was just the thing Obito had been waiting for. From the beginning he had a suspicion as to who might be behind all of this. It would have to be someone who had reason to attack the Leaf, after all a new hidden village had no real reason to attack them. Also, it would have to be someone who had prior knowledge of the Leaf's secrets. The hidden Sand had sent them a copy of the attack plans that the Sound had sent them, and it was clear whoever planned it knew far too much about the Leaf. Finally, it would have to be someone who was strong enough and smart enough to start a hidden village without anyone else knowing.

Now, with this note, all of his suspicions were being confirmed. It looked like the one who was planning on attacking the Leaf was just who he had thought it was. Orochimaru was about to return home.

Obito walked out and talked to one of his assistants, "Get Jiraiya, Tsunade, the Third, and Anko in here. I need some more info and I think they'll be the best people to ask."

The assistant thought it was a strange request, but didn't argue. Obito looked out the window and took a deep breath. The more Obito learned about this attack the more risk he could see the Leaf was in. This was the first time he had ever been in a situation like this. He was starting to understand just why his sensei and Sarutobi had such a hard time with this job.

* * *

Itachi looked over at the crop of genin that were up for chunin and had to say, they actually looked pretty decent. Between the rookie twelve, the sand siblings, and these mysterious new Sound ninja, it looked like there would actually be a pretty good competition here.

He was about to begin the test when he sensed someone had jumped next to him. Itachi of course turned to talk him, "Do you need something? I'm running a rather important test here."

The man didn't say anything, just handed Itachi a scroll. Itachi read it and gave quick glance to Kabuto and the Sound ninja. Looks like he was going to have to keep an eye on them. He thanks the man how then jumped away.

Itachi gave one last look at all of the genin and said, "Welcome to the second portion of the Chunin Exam. This is the survival portion of the test in which you will have to spend a week alone in this forest behind me."

Choji looked horrified, "What about food?"

Itachi was always amazed with the Akimichi's love of food, "You'll be finding that on your own. It's a survival test after all. I'll be issuing each of your teams either an earth or heaven scroll. In order to pass the test, you must bring one of each them to the tower in the center of this forest by the end of the week. You will of course be getting these scrolls by defeating other teams and taking it from them."

One of the sound ninja raised their hand, "Is killing allowed?"

Itachi frowned, he said that with a little too much enthusiasm, "Yes, although it is frowned upon."

The sound ninja smirked, "That's all I needed to know."

Itachi made a mental note to keep an extra close eye on that one. He showed them two examples of the scrolls and continued, "Since you need both scrolls to pass, at least half of the teams will be eliminated. There is only one rule to this exam. Do not, under any circumstances, open the scroll until you've reached the tower."

A sand ninja raised his hand, "What happens if we open them?"

Itachi smirked, "That's none of your concern. As a chunin, you'll be expected to carry several classified documents which you are never allowed to read. This is a form of practice for that."

One cloud ninja raised her hand to ask one last question, "Just how dangerous is this forest?"

Itachi couldn't help but give a small laugh, "It's called the forest of death for a reason. There are giant animals and bugs all over this forest. Deadly plants with toxic thorns and deadly traps around every corner. To put it simply, not the kind of place to take lightly. Now if you'll excuse me, we have to been handing out the scrolls so that the exam can begin. Best of luck to you all."

They began to hand the scrolls out one by one to each team. Once they got to team 11, they handed them one of the earth scrolls and told them to wait by gate 13. Naruto started to walk in that direction and asked his teammates, "Alright, so what's the plan for getting a heaven scroll?"

Kakashi scratched his head and said, "Kakashi can't decided if we should go and wait by the tower so that the teams will be tired out when the get to us or just seek out one of the weaker teams ourselves. If we wait for the teams at the towers, Kakashi thinks we'll probably end up meeting one of the stronger teams there making them harder for us to beat. However, Kakashi also knows that if seek out the weaker teams when it starts they'll be at full strength and we might have to meet one of waiting teams when we reach the tower."

Naruto piped up, "I can hide any scroll we find with one of the storage seals Uncle Jiraiya's been showing me."

Kakashi thought about it and nodded, "Kakashi thinks we should seek out a weaker team. Less unknown variables that way."

They all looked up to see they had reached gate 13. It was time for see who was really ready to be a chunin.

* * *

Sarutobi frowned deeply as he listen to everything Obito had deduced, "Much as I hate to say it, I think you're right. Orochimaru is the only one who we know of that could have managed all of this. Although even I never thought he go this far for revenge on the Leaf."

Jiraiya sighed, "Oh, I can believe it. That snakes always been a special brand of crazy. The part I find hard to believe is that he was actually able to start a full blown hidden village right under everyone's noses."

Anko looked more pist than anyone had ever seen her, "That good for nothing son of bitch thinks he just walk into the village and mess with my genin's big exam? Hell no! Soon as I see him, I'm slicing that pedofile into little pieces and feeding him to his own snakes!"l

Tsunade just kind of shook her head, "I can't believe he doesn't see that no matter how lucky he got he would lose this fight. We've got two Kages and two sannin, and even if he had the Sand behind he still couldn't take the Leaf's army. He's just so blinded by his hatred for the Leaf."

Obito sighed, "While bad mouthing Orochimaru is fun and all, what I called all of you here for is so that we can discuss the best way to deal with him."

Sarutobi got a loom of determination in his eyes, "Then lets get started. I wasn't strong enough to kill him last time, but I won't make that mistake again."

Obito smiled to himself. He had gotten the perfect people for the job.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41, lets get the survival part of the test in full swing. This parts is obviously gonna be way different from the cannon. I'm guessing you're all wondering where Orochimaru's gonna fit into all of this, and all I'm gonna say is that he'll be scoping out his next potential body. Well that's all, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

A team of Sand genin walk through the forest of death with extreme caution. They had yet to see another team and they wanted to be absolutely sure they were ready when they did.

One of them felt something on his skin and found a small slug on his hand. He froze out of fear, "Um guys, are slugs poisonous?"

The female of the group rolled her eyes, "Not likely. Just smack it of your hand and lets keep moving."

The boy gave a small laugh, "Right, course they aren't."

He flicked the slug off his hand and looked away too soon to see it poof away.

* * *

Mito looked at the team of Sand genin and noticed that her slug had come back to her, "Did you figure out what kind of scroll they have?"

The slug replied in a small voice, "They have a heaven scroll my lady."

Mito was glad to hear that, "Great, thanks for your help."

The slug proofed away and Mito turned to the others, "They've got a heaven scroll, lets move."

* * *

The Sand genin continued to walk through the forest while doing their best to keep their guard up. This test had started over three hours ago, and they had yet to see even a sign of any other human being. Something did finally catch their attention though, a snake slithering across their path.

They jumped slightly, but didn't really think anything of it. After all, this forest must have thousands of snake inside of it. To be honest, they were just happy wasn't one of those giant ones the proctor had been talking about.

Right before they were about to walk right past where it had been, one of them yelped out in pain. Thank had bitten his ankle and it was beyond painful. His teammate threw a kunai at it causing it to poof away. The girl went wide eyed as she knew exactly what that meant, "It's a summon, someone else is here!"

Naruto, Mito, and Kakashi jumped down in front of them, "I'd give us that scroll now. We don't want to have to hurt you guys."

The one who's ankle had been bitten made some hand signs, "No way in hell!"

He put his hand over his mouth and some kind of rain came out, "Raining Water Senbon!"

The sharpened water hit team 11, who then poofed away just like the snake did. They all went wide eyed and heard a voice above them, "A water user, that's pretty rare in the Sand."

The sand genin started to mumble to himself, "What in the hell?"

Naruto appeared out of nowhere, promptly kicking the kid in the chest a sending him flying backwards, "Shadow clones, one of my specialties. I had them transform into my teammates to distract you. Weren't expecting that after the snake were you?"

They were about to start a counter attack when they saw that they were surrounded by dozens of Naruto's in the trees. Kakashi stood on one of the branches with his hand to his mouth, "If you don't give us that scroll, Kakashi's gonna send a nice big fireball right at you, and there's too many Narutos around here for you to try escape if I do. Give us the scroll, and they'll be no more trouble."

The sand genin could see they were far too out matched to keep this up. One of them pulled out the heaven scroll and tossed it to them, "Fine, but this isn't over."

Naruto caught it and jumped back up in the trees to meet his teammates, "It is for now."

* * *

Once the fight was over and they were in a safe location, Naruto sat down and put the scrolls next to him on the ground. He took of his shirt and turned it inside out, his teammates looking at him curiously. Naruto placed a brush he had pulled out of his pocket on the inside out shirt and started to make some kind symbols on it. Once he finished it, he grabbed the scrolls and placed them on symbol he had drawn. He put his hand over them and in a puff of smoke the scroll disappeared.

Kakashi was majorly impressed, "Naruto, that was awesome. So we can just pretend we don't have any scrolls and pull them out of the seal once we get to the tower. Kakashi's gotta say Naruto, that's freaking amazing!"

Naruto smiled brightly at the praise, "Thanks, sealing really is cool isn't it?"

Mito was more worried about finding a safe place to stay at the moment, "We'll have to set up camp before too much longer. Let's go find a safe spot sleep for the night."

The two boys nodded and headed out, unaware of a dark presence looming above them. A strange Grass ninja watched them and gave a strange kind of chuckle, "Kukuku, you or your cousin? I really can't decide. Either one of you would just be so perfect. We'll just have to wait and see I suppose."

The Grass-nin just kept watching them as they left to set up camp. Before long they would have to formal meet. Kakashi seemed like the perfect vessel, but then again so did his cousin. It was really a matter of which person would be easier to acquire. Both of them would be tested than the proper one would be chosen. It was just a matter of time really.

Team 11 finally jumped out of the Grass-nin's sight, who then chuckled once more, "Kukuku, I'm so glad I came these exams."

* * *

Team 11 had spent the better part of an hour just trying to find a place to sleep for the night, with little success. The problem was that they were in the freaking forest of death, so pretty much nowhere was safe enough to try and sleep.

Naruto suddenly stopped them, "Hold up, I think we've got company."

Kakashi and Mito stopped and quieted down. Everything was extremely quite. That was until Kakashi creamed, "Hey guys, how's it going?"

Mito smacked him over the head, "Kakashi, what are you doing?"

Kakashi rubbed his head, "What? Kakashi was just saying hi to his cousin."

Mito gave him a funny look, "Cousin?"

Sasuke and the rest of team 7 jumped down to meet them. Sasuke looked at Kakashi and asked, "How'd you see us coming?"

Kakashi pointed to his eyes, "When Naruto told Kakashi someone was coming, he activated his Sharingan. Kakashi was able to see you even though you were kind far way. When Kakashi saw that it was you guys he deactivated it."

Sasuke nodded, "Good thinking. You guys got your two scrolls yet?"

Kakashi was about to answer, when Naruto said, "Wait a second, how do we know you guys are really you? Hinata, what did I call you at dinner the other night?"

Hinata blushed heavily, "Your sweet little Hinata-chan."

Naruto gave a foxy grin, "Yup, it's them."

Sasuke gaged, "That's the most sickeningly sweet thing I've ever heard."

Hinata huffed, "That attitude's why you don't have a girlfriend."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "No, I'm smart is the reason I don't have a girlfriend."

Hinata was about fire back when Sai cut in, "This isn't the time or place for this."

Hinata and Sasuke knew he was right, but they weren't happy about it. Hinata turned to Naruto, "We've got both or our scrolls already, what about you guys?"

Naruto smirked, "Yup, took from some Sand genin."

Sasuke chuckled, "Nice, we got ours from a team of Mist ninjas."

Hinata suggested, "Since we've both got our scrolls, why don't we set up camp together? We can watch each other's back on the way to the tower."

They couldn't see why not, "Sure, you got any spot in mind?"

Sai apparently had an answer, "There's a small clearing we passed not far from here, I think it'd really be perfect."

Kakashi liked the sound of that, "Then what are we waiting for? Lead the way Sai!"

* * *

Once they got to the clearing, they had camp set up in no time. Mito and Sai went out to get water and food while Hinata and Kakashi formed a perimeter around the area and Naruto and Sasuke set up camp. Once they had everything all set up, they got the watch schedule set up and cooked the fish that Sai had caught over the fire. Hinata had some herbs around, and proved to be a very good cook. All of them agreed, teaming up was a great idea.

* * *

Sasuke was the fourth one on watch, Naruto, Hinata, and Kakashi all having gone already. He watched as they slept peacefully, chests going up and down as breathed in and out. It was dead quiet, the only sounds he heard were the owls and some crickets. It was a beautifully peaceful night. It was funny, the forest of death was filled with horrible monsters and deadly plants, but it was also kind of beautiful. Once the dust had settled and the moonlight hit it, it was an amazing place.

Sasuke took a deep breath and admired the scenery a little while longer. His shift was almost over, so he stood up to wake up Sai for his shift. Just as he was about to go back to camp, he heard a voice not far off, "A mesmerizing place, isn't it? People are just too foolish to appreciate real beauty."

Sasuke turned around to find some kind of Grass-nin standing on a nearby branch. He was about to call to his friends when he heard, "Kukuku, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Wouldn't want to get your cousin hurt, would you?"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks, "What the hell are you talking about?"

The Grass-nin removed the hat they had been wearing to reveal a white, sickly looking man. The man began to chuckled, "Kukuku, I understand my teammate is your sensei. Too bad you got the weakest of the sannin as your sensei. I would've been a much better choice for someone with as much talent as you."

Sasuke started to piece it together, "Wait, you're…"

The man threw his head back in laughter. He was clearly enjoying this very much, "Yes, Orochimaru of the sannin."

Sasuke couldn't believe it. What the hell was Orochimaru doing here in the chunin exams. Orochimaru jumped next to him and began to circle him like he was stalking his prey, "I considered both you and your cousin for my next vessel, but Kakashi's just got too many risks tied to him. He's the Hokage's son, he has no reason to leave the Leaf. It just wouldn't be the smart choice."

Sasuke really wasn't liking where this was going, "And what about me?"

Orochimaru was so glad he asked, "When it comes to you, I can easily concoct some story in which you join me to avenge your clan."

Sasuke was really starting to dislike this guy, "And just how do you intend to get me to go with you?"

Orochimaru made a one handed seal and gave a dark smile, "For an Uchiha, you very poor with your genjutsu. You didn't even notice when I left the little gift for your cousin."

Sasuke suddenly heard the sound of Kakashi groaning, "What the hell did you do to him?"

Orochimaru loved this kids anger, "Oh, that's simple. A little seal I put on his neck, and that was just little sample of what it can do by the way. Any moment I want to, I can activate said seal to its full potency, killing him instantly. If you refuse any request I make of you, I won't hesitate to use it."

Sasuke ground his teeth, "What do you want?"

Orochimaru simply turned away, "Don't worry about that for now. We'll be in touch."

Orochimaru vanished into the trees and Sasuke turned to see his cousin was once again sleeping peacefully. Sasuke had no idea what Orochimaru wanted with him, but he knew it wasn't good. He said he'd make a good 'vessel', whatever the hell that meant. He didn't bother to wake Sai up for his shift, not like he was going to sleep tonight anyways.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42, the end of the second exam and the segway into the next preliminaries. I'll also be having the start of a little battle between two talented medical ninjas in this chapter, Kabuto vs Rin! I've been itching to do that fight for a while now, and this'll be the chapter and the next one I finally get to do it in! We've got a lot lined up for this chapter, so pay close attention. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Obito looked over the battle plans that Jiraiya and presented him, thinking in his head how lucky he was his sensei knew so much about Orochimaru's battle strategies. Orochimaru was a trickster, he relied on his opponents not knowing what he had in hidden up his sleeve. His plan had been to attack the Leaf at a time they wouldn't expect it, sneak a tailed-beast in to destroy their village, and do it all during the Chunin exams to cause maximum damage. Sadly for him, the element of surprise had taken for all of those. The dirty snake had lost his greatest weapon.

Rin knocked on the door to her husbands office and walked inside, "Hey Obito-kun, how are you doing?"

Obito was glad Rin had stopped by, he hadn't gotten to see her as much since he became Hokage, "I'm doing alright. Jiraiya's really given us some great plans for the counterattack here."

Rin walked over and gave her husband a small kiss, "Glad to hear it, anything that takes some of the worry off your mind is a good thing."

Obito got a worried look on his face, "You aren't regretting letting me take this job are you? I feel like I'm neglecting you and Kakashi lately. Both of you mean the world to me, you know that don't you?"

Rin giggled softly at her husband, "Sweetie, I don't regret you taking this job for a second. I know you're doing everything you can for Kakashi and I and if you had more time to spend with us you would. When you became Hokage, I knew that I was going to have to share you with the rest of the village, but I knew you needed to do it. It would have been selfish of me to tell you not to take this job, you're a great man and the village needs you just as much as I do."

Obito held his wife close to him, "I don't know about that. There's plenty of things that I do to you that I'd never do to the rest of the village."

Rin blushed, "Fair point."

Obito remembered something and took a scroll of his desk, "By the way, what do you make of this Kabuto kid?"

Rin looked over the scroll, "Wait, he's a genin? All this time I thought he was a jonin. Guess I never really asked him, just kind of assumed because of how good he was."

Obito got very interested, "I've heard he's good, but is he really a jonin level medic?"

Rin gave him a simple nod and kept reading, "Even if he was working for Orochimaru, why would he stay a genin? Wouldn't it be better for him to get higher up and more trusted around here?"

Obito didn't think it was that simple, "Kabuto's an expert in espionage. He knows that if he's still just a simple genin medical ninja that no one will pay any attention to him."

Rin kept looking the scroll and asked her husband, "Is there a reason you haven't pulled him out of the exam yet?"

Obito didn't understand why he would, "What good would that do us? We already know everything we need to know about Orochimaru and he's not some major threat is he?"

Rin could see her husband didn't know much how dangerous medic could be, "You haven't told Tsunade or Shizune about this have you?" Obito shook his head and Rin sighed, "Sweetie, medic-nin's like Kabuto can be extremely dangerous in a combat situation."

Obito wasn't so sure, "His file doesn't say anything about having any particular skill in combat."

Rin raised an eyebrow, "Well yeah, he's a spy for crying out loud."

Obito shook his head, "This kid has had way too many close calls to on mission to be any real threat."

That's when Rin realized where the miscommunication was coming from, "Obito-kun, these injuries were close calls because he wanted them to be. Med-nins get good enough, they start being able to actually put themselves in near death situations. Notice all of these injuries involved a knife just barely missing a vital organ or a bone breaking in just the right place to immobilize but not kill. This isn't the work of an weakling, it's the work of a brilliant med-nin who's too dangerous to leave out there."

Obito felt his stomach start to sink, "I'll send someone out as soon as I can. You're the expert here, who would be the best person to go after him?"

Rin thought about it for a second, "Tsunade's busy preparing for Orochimaru and Shizune's not as good as I am in combat. I think I'd be the best choice for this one."

Obito was about to object, but suddenly stopped himself. What right did he have to say it was too dangerous when he was the Hokage, the most dangerous job in the village, "Alright, but please be careful."

Rin gave her husband a small kiss on the cheek, "Don't worry, I always am. Did you have anyone in mind as to who to send with me or do I get to choose my own team?"

Obito shrugged, "You know way more about medical ninjutsu than I do, so I'll leave the choice of a team to you."

Rin thought about it for a second and said, "I'll just have Itachi lead me their. He can keep anyone on side at bay with his genjutsu while I capture Kabuto."

Obito wrote up and scroll and handed it to her, "Just give him this. You'll need some kind of confirmation to pull someone out of the exam."

Rin took the scroll and nodded, "Alright sweetie, I'll be back as soon as I can."

Obito still didn't like this, but knew his wife was right, "Best of luck Rin-chan."

* * *

Team 7 and Team 11 ran towards the tower as fast as they could manage. They all wanted to be out of this forest as fast as possible, especially since several rival genin teams were out for their blood so they could take the scrolls. Naruto had sealed team 7's scroll out of sight as well, just to be safe. All of them couldn't help but notice Sasuke was acting very strange.

Flashback

Sai had asked him when they first woke up, "Um Broody, why didn't you wake me up?"

Sasuke just snorted, "Don't worry about."

Kakashi of course spoke, "Oh, Kakashi thinks Sasuke is grumpy. Sasuke, you know you get grumpy when you don't sleep."

Sasuke scowled and snapped, "I'm not in the mood today Kakashi."

None of them could believe what they just heard. Sasuke never yelled at Kakashi, ever. Those were two of the closest people they knew. Kakashi was visibly hurt and said in a very small voice, "Kakashi's sorry…"

Sasuke saw what he'd done and felt awful, "Kakashi I...I didn't mean that. I'm just kinda nervous ok...Sasuke is sorry."

Kakashi went back to his usual happy go lucky self as soon as he heard that, "Okay, if you're talking like Kakashi you must really be sorry."

Kakashi went gather up some of their things and Mito went up to Sasuke, "I didn't know you talked like that with Kakashi."

Sasuke looked rather embarrassed, "I do it with him sometimes so he doesn't feel weird. It's not a big deal."

Mito smirked at him, "Right, keep telling yourself that Sasuke."

End Flashback

That had been about an hour ago. The werent' too far off from the tower at this point, maybe half an hour away. Sasuke still seemed to be off in his own little world and Kakashi was clearly worried about his cousin, "Sasuke, are you sure you're okay? Kakashi and the rest of the group can stop if you need to rest or something."

Sasuke shook his head, "No, I'm fine. Let's just keep moving."

Kakashi really wanted to know what was wrong with his cousin, but could see he wasn't going to get any answers. He'd have to wait until they got to the tower to try and press him about it again.

* * *

Kabuto gave a small chuckle as he looked at the corpses of some hidden Rain genin around him. His pathetic teammates would have no idea just how powerful he actually was. They would just think he had stolen this scroll by some stroke of luck. He could kill those fools without them even knowing he was anywhere near them. Sometimes this village made it too easy on him.

Kabuto tucked the scroll in his pocket just in time to hear someone call out, "Kabuto, I'm afraid we'll have to pull you out of these exams."

Kabuto turned around to the see the proctor and the Hokages wife behind them, "Hello there proctor-san. If you're talking about the dead bodies, I found them this way and even if I hadn't I wouldn't have broken any rules."

Rin sent a false smile, "We just need to have a little chat with you. If you wouldn't mind coming to the Hokages office with us that is."

Kabuto had given the smile to several people over the years, so he spotted it in a second, "I think I will leave the exam, but I won't be going to the Hokage's office. See you around proctor-san."

Itachi gave a devious smirk, "Yes, you will."

His body burst into a bunch of crows and Rin cracked her knuckles, "He's gonna make sure no one interferes while take you down and drag out of here."

Kabuto could see he was in for a fight, "Two talented combat ready med-nin. This should be interesting."

Rin charged at him, "You got that right."

* * *

Once they finally reached the tower, Naruto unsealed the scrolls and they flashed them to the guards, turns out they were the first ones who had gotten there too. They entered the tower and took a brief look around. The whole place was covered in some kind of green tile. It a giant statue shaped like hands at the end of the room and balcony up top. Everyone was busy admiring the room, Kakashi had read the writing on the wall, which seemed to have some kind of meaning behind it, and had started messing with the scrolls.

Mito looked over and realized Kakashi had opened them and laid them over top of one another, "Kakashi what are you…"

Before she could finish, smoke filled the room and no one could see for a short time. When it cleared, Anko and Jiraiya and were standing in front of them. Anko was grinning ear to ear, "First ones here, nice job gakis."

Naruto couldn't believe it, "Kakashi, how did you know to do that?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Kakashi just read the writing on the wall."

Naruto just shook his head and chose not to question it. Jiraiya had heard about the number of teams that had passed the first part of the exams. He knew what was likely going to happen, "If as many teams as I think pass as I think will, then they're going to have to do some kind of combat elimination round to see who gets to the final part of the exam. You guys just rest up and keep your heads in the game. You're not out of the water just yet.

They all nodded and began to chat about what they would do for the elimination rounds. Kakashi spent most of his time trying to cheer up his cousin, who was still thinking hard about something. To put it simply, all of them had important something on their mind.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43, time for the fight between Kabuto and Rin and the preliminaries. It took me a little bit to figure out who all I was gonna have make it to the final round, but I've finally decided. The really hard part was figuring out who would fight who and how to have it play out so that my choices would actually play out. My laptops not fixed yet, but I'll be able to post almost everyday until it is. Key word being almost. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Itachi watched in awe as Kabuto and Rin went back and forth at one another. He had no idea medical ninjas could be this impressive in a fight. The only combat able med-nin on this level he'd ever heard of was lady Tsunade. Yet, this was one of the greatest battles he'd ever seen.

Kabuto was clearly the quicker of the two, however his attacks weren't all that powerful. His reflexes were almost on par with his speed as well. However, his chakra scalpels are where he really shined. They were his most power assets, since he could use them at a level that no other ninja he knew of could.

Rin speed was relatively good, but her strength was on a level Kabuto couldn't even dream of at the moment. Thanks to Tsunade's training with the the super strength technique and her practice with taijutsu, Rin was one hell of a fighter. She was easily one of the Leaf's most powerful kunoichi.

After ducking, and narrowly avoiding a kick in the head, Kabuto took another slash at Rin with one of his chakra scalpels. Rin jumped back and slammed her fist into the ground, creating a small fissure heading straight for Kabuto.

Kabuto's foot fell into the fissure and Rin took the opportunity to strike. She jumped into the air and prepared to knock him out. Rin's fist landed inches from his head, Kabuto's reflexes saved him at the last second. He reactivated his chakra scalpel and went to shove it into her abdomen.

Rin stomped on the ground, causing a small earthquake. This made Kabuto to lose his balance before he could finish his attack. It was time to end this fight. She charged her fist up just enough so that she wouldn't kill him. Shoving it into his gut, Rin sent Kabuto flying into a tree.

Kabuto, by some miracle, stood up and pulled a scroll out of his pocket. Three dead bodies were unsealed and Kabuto was some how controlling them like puppets. He sent the charging straight at Rin. Rin didn't even flinch, she charged right back at them. One of them pulled out a blade and swung at Rin. She caught the blade in both hands and kicked the corpse in the shin, then grabbed its head and slammed it into her knee. It's skull was crush, immobilizing it. Another corpse came at her, but Rin grabbed it's arm and threw it at the other corpse. She jumped into the arm and slammed down the corpses, finishing them once and for all.

Kabuto went to make his escape, but Rin slammed her fist into the ground even harder than before. It created a fissure twice as big as the first one, which Kabuto immediately found himself tripping into. This time he didn't have time to dodge the punch Rin sent right to his head, knocking him out cold.

Itachi jumped down from where he was standing, "An impressive battle. How long will he be out for?"

Rin looked him over and shrugged, "Not really sure. We'll just tie him up and drag him back."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, "Do you have rope?"

Rin pulled the ninja wire out of Kabuto's bag, "Actually, I was gonna borrowed his."

Itachi couldn't help but laugh, "Well played Lady Rin, well played."

Rin finished tying Kabuto up when she heard something moving in the bushes. She walked over to find a girl with green hair hiding in there, cuddling her legs for dear life. When she saw someone was there with her, she gasped, "Please don't hurt me. I promise not to hurt anyone, I won't even go back the Waterfall."

Run carefully put a hand on the girls shoulder, "I'm not going to hurt you. Could you please tell me your name and what happened?"

The girl wiped her eyes, "I'm Fu from the hidden Waterfall. That guy started killing my teammates so I figured he was another assassin someone had sent after me. He seemed really strong, so I just hid in the bushes and prayed he would just take the scroll. I can't believe he killed them..."

Rin didn't understand, "Why do they want to kill you sweetie? Who's doing this to you?

Fu sniffed, "My village. I'm a jinjuriki and everyone at my village is scared of me."

Rin looked at Itachi, "Take Kabuto back without me. I'm gonna see if I can help her out."

Itachi grabbed Kabuto and nodded, "Of course Lady Rin."

Rin picked up Fu who held her tightly. Poor girl was scared to death. Looks like Rin was gonna have to figure out exactly what to do with her for a while.

The deadline for the second portion of the exam had finally come. All of the rookie twelve and team had passed, along with the sand siblings and the sound ninjas. The final two teams to arrive had been Kurotsuchi's team and Samui's.

Obito, who had arrived just a few moments earlier, stood up to give his speak. Most Kages would drag this speech out for what seemed like hours, but Obito never really did that. His speech was over in a mere five minutes.

Obito stood up and said, "For years, we've been using this exam to decided who should be promoted to chunin. To be quite honest, it's more of way for the villages to show how well off they're doing financially and how powerful our armies are. But for these genin, it means a hell of a lot more. It's a right of passage, proof that they don't someone to hold their hands anymore. I'm amazed that this many shinobi have gotten this far. The fact that you've forced us to do a preliminary round it's something that I never would have expected in a million years. I leave the rest of the explaining to Heyate. If you would please begin."

A walked out of the shadows coughing, "I will be proctor of the second, cough, of the preliminary round. The matches will be chosen, cough, randomly. Would anyone like to back out of the exam?"

Sasuke ground his teeth. He hated to do this, but Orochimaru had left him no choice, "I'm backing out."

_Flashback_

_Sasuke laid on his bedding, everyone else was asleep at the moment. He hadn't slept in past two days since Orochimaru told him about the seal he'd placed on Kakashi. The only other team that had showed up so far was the sand siblings. They'd been told to stay in here until the exams were over, leaving Sasuke very little time to think through everything over._

_A disgustingly slimy voice entered the room, "I'm afraid we've got a little something we must discuss Sasuke."_

_Sasuke winced as he heard that voice, "What do you want you damn snake?"_

_Orochimaru chuckled, "Kukuku, nice to see you too. I'm afraid that I need you to back out of the preliminary rounds."_

_Sasuke frowned, "They aren't even sure they're going to have preliminary rounds yet, are they?"_

_Orochimaru hated explaining himself, "They'll be a preliminary round, I can already that much. Now, you're going to back out them."_

_Sasuke looked around to see Orochimaru was on the balcony, "Why in the hell would I do that?"_

_Orochimaru rolled his eyes, "Stop asking dumb questions Sasuke. I have no use for you in the chunin exams. Where I have use for you, is preparing to extract you after the chunin exams."_

_Sasuke suddenly realised what that meant, "You're making me leave the village? My whole life is here, my friends are here."_

_Orochimaru gave him a dark smile, "That's true. If you stay you'll even get to go to Kakashi funeral with them."_

_Sasuke had to keep himself from screaming, "This is bullshit. How did you even get the seal on Kakashi without waking him up?"_

_Orochimaru was really tired of all of these questions, "A simple sedative from one of my slithering friends. He never felt a thing. Just back out of the exams."_

_Sasuke was going to object, but Orochimaru was already gone. Looks like he had no choice._

_End Flashback_

Kakashi screamed, "What are you doing Sasuke? why would you back out?"

Sasuke knew he had to think of something fast, "I'm not feeling well at the moment."

Mito was about smack him, "Are you kidding me? That's why you're backing out of the exam?"

Sasuke had no idea what to say, "It's a little more than just that. My chakra system feels all off, I don't think it'd be a good idea for me fighting right now."

Now that sounded somewhat plausible. Jiraiya looked at his student and nodded, "Not like he can't take it again in six months. You'll just get yourself hurt if you're not feeling well. Why don't you go see Shizune? You might get back in time to fight."

Hayate shook his head, "No, once you're out, you're out. Are you in or, cough, out?"

Sasuke saw his way out and took it, "I just don't feel right. I'm gonna back out."

Kakashi was heartbroken, "But Kakashi wanted to compete with his cousin."

Sasuke patted him on the back, "It'll be just fine. You'd better kick some ass for me."

Kakashi suddenly bounced back, "Of course! Kakashi will kick tons of ass for his cousin!"

Sasuke laughed and Jiraiya handed him a scroll, "Just give this to Shizune and she'll check you out."

Sasuke took it and said goodbye to everyone, silently thanking god he had thought of something. Kurotsuchi and Samui's teammates all backed out. Their missions were to make sure Kurotsuchi and Samui could complete their missions. They were told to back out as soon as they got to a point that they were no longer needed.

Hayate looked around, "That leave 22 competitors. The first, cough, names will now be drawn."

Hayate walked over and pulled two names from a small box that was brought in by another ninja. He read the names out loud, "Naruto Namikaze vs Choji Akimichi."

* * *

Kabuto's eyes slowly drifted open as he looked around at the room he was in. The room was a simple gray color, and the only thing in the room was the chair he was currently tied to. Looks like he'd been captured by Rin. It was kind of disappointing to him. For years he'd thought that he was the Leaf's second most powerful medic, but it looks like Rin was currently holding that title.

Ibiki walked knocked on the door and walked into the room, "So you're Kabuto. Gotta say you did a damn fine job staying under our radar. I don't even wanna think what would've happened if you hadn't overplayed your hand with those genin back there. Why don't you just tell us what you know and I'll make it easier on you?"

Kabuto scoffed, "I'm one of the finest spies in the elemental nations. You think I'd give it up that easily?"

Ibiki frowned, "Finest spy in the elemental nations huh? But wasn't a bunch of genin that made you?"

Kabuto got defensive, "I underestimated those kids. Guess everybody has a bad day."

Ibiki shrugged, "If you say so. Guess you're gonna go for the hard way then."

Kabuto sneered, "You don't scare me."

Ibiki went to the door, "Too bad for you I'm not the one leading the integration."

Kabuto didn't understand. He was about to object when he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head, "I'm gonna enjoy this. I've been wanting a piece of that snake for years, but I guess I'll settle for his little whipping boy."

Kabuto knew that voice, "Anko Umino, you must be loving this."

Anko walked out in front of him, "Oh, I am. How in the hell could you bring yourself to help that sick son of bitch?"

Kabuto knew she wouldn't understand, "Lord Orochimaru and I understand the world so much better than the average person. He gave me my purpose, the reason I get up every morning. The more knowledge I gain, the more I learn who I really am. I can't let myself be held back by morality like you fools."

Anko took a kunai out of her pouch and threw it just centimeters from Kabuto's groin, "In that case, why don't I teach you about pain? All of that pain you and the snake have put people through over the years. That's what I want you to think about while I do this. I want you to imagine all of the people you've done this to and just how many people you've done it to. This is going to be your own little slice of hell, payback from every person you've hurt. You're going to be begging for death before this is all said and done."

Kabuto suddenly found himself in a cold sweat, "Please, the Leaf would never let you do something like that."

Anko shook her head, "Sorry, but we've got hundreds, maybe thousands of lives in the balance. We're not going to worry about the morality of putting someone like you in pain."

Kabuto could see he wasn't going to get out of this. Question was, just how long could he bite the bullet before he gave in?


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44, lets get on with preliminaries! Time for Naruto to face off against Choji. I have no idea why, but I really think that was a good choice for the first fight. Some of the fights will be canon and some won't. I've stated before that I'm not very good at writing fight scenes, so this is gonna be a hard chapter for me to write. If you're not crazy for this fight, I'll understand. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Naruto wasn't happy to be facing one of his friends, but he knew that the odds were that was what was going to happen. There were only 5 people their he didn't consider his friends as it was. Choji was his ramen buddy, so he hated to have to fight him. However, he wasn't going easy on him either.

Naruto walked over and shook Choji's hand, "Good luck. You'd better not hold back."

Choji nodded, "Wouldn't dream of it."

Hayate raised his hand to start the match, "Match 1, Choji vs Naruto, will now begin. In 3, 2, 1. BEGIN!"

Neither of them wasted any time, Naruto made a little over a dozen clones and sent them all at Choji. Choji made his favorite hand seal and his body began to expand, "Human Boulder!"

Choji turned into a giant spinning boulder heading for Naruto at full speed. Most of the didn't have time to run, but the real Naruto got out of the way as soon as he saw Choji transform.

Choji hit the wall and left a rather large crater. He managed to turn himself around and aim himself at Naruto again. It didn't take long for Naruto to realize Choji couldn't turn once he got rolling, something Naruto could use to his advantage.

Naruto made some hand deals and and summoned one of his toads. He whispered to the toad, who then nodded. The toads cheeks began to fill up and he spit oil on the ground.

Choji started to roll towards them, but lost control when he hit the oil. He spun so fast that the whole arena shook when he hit the wall. Naruto had barely had time to get out of the way. The big boned genin was knocked out.

Hayate yelled out, "Choji is unable to continue, Naruto is the winner!"

They got back up the baloney and Choji was layed next to his teammates and Naruto was congratulated by his. Kakashi was the most excited of all, "Naruto did awesome, Kakashi can't wait for his turn."

Hayate called out next, "Kurotsuchi and Samui, please come down the the arena."

Samui shot Naruto a wink as she went down and Kurotsuchi blew him a kiss. Hinata scowled and Naruto put his arm around her, "Don't worry Hinata-chan, I'm all yours."

He leaned in and gave her a passionate kiss. Hinata gave him a dreamy smile, "Glad to hear it Naruto-kun."

The two women had gotten down to the arena and Hayate raised his hand, "Kurotsuchi vs Samui, begin in 3, 2, 1, GO!"

Samui moved first, launching a flurry of shuriken the rock ninja. Kurotsuchi jumped back, the shuriken missing her by just inches. She made some hand seals and put her hand to her mouth. Much to everyone's surprise, she shot a massive cloud of ash at Samui.

Samui braced herself for the hit, but the ash didn't really hurt. It was some kind of trap, it wasn't meant to hurt. It's purpose was to blind Samui and force her to breathe the ash in.

Pulling out her tanto, Samui closed her eyes and began to rely on her other senses to fight Kurotsuchi. She heard someone running at her at took a slash at them with her tanto. Rather than blood, the blade cut through ash. It was freaking clone!

Kurotsuchi could see she was focused elsewhere, so she knew it was time to finish this. After making a few more hand seals, see slammed get fist into the ground. Small cracks formed around her fist like a spider web, and stone from the ground flew at Samui. She didn't have time to dodge, taking the full brunt of the blow.

When the ash cleared, Samui was out cold on the ground. Kurotsuchi gave a little bow to Naruto and Hayate called out, "Samui is unable to continue, Kurotsuchi is the winner."

Hinata huffed, "I was hoping both of them would get the stuffing beaten out of them, or at least that one of them would break a bone or something ."

Naruto laughed, "You've got some interesting hobbies sweetie."

Kakashi popped up, "Kakashi likes to collect masks. It soothes him."

Hinata was couldn't help but giggle. Kakashi always had a way making people laugh in any situation.

The next names were called down, "Temari and Tenten, please come down to the center of the arena."

Kankuro went pale, "Oh shit..."

Gaara looked at his older brother, "What's the issue? Either way, someone you care about will win."

Kankuro rolled his eyes, "Whenever your girlfriend has to fight your sister, it's not a good thing."

The two ninjas walked down to the arena, the knot never leaving Kankuro's stomach.

Page break

Sasuke walked back from the hospital with a small frown on his face. Shizune had bought the story about his chakra feeling off and ran a few test on him. She said that it was a little off, but nothing major. It was probably because of some stress is what she told him. Oh, he was stressed alright.

He pretend to be down about not being in the exams and Shizune said that he made the right choice and he could just take it again in six months. Sasuke went home to try and think of some way out of all of this. To try and make sure that the sick son of a bitch wouldn't get whatever he was after. While he didn't have any idea of what he would do, he knew he wasn't going down without a fight.

* * *

Obito did his best to try and process everything that was going on , "So the hidden Waterfall's jinjuriki, container the seven tailed locust, Fu had her team slaughtered and now she's with us, I get that part. But you're telling me they just sent us a message telling us they don't want her back?"

Rin sighed, "They're not a village that's ever going to be a major military power, so they don't think that there's any point in having a jinjuriki. Her parents tied years ago, so there's no one left there that cares about her. They've been looking an excuse to get rid of her for a while now."

Obito cringed slightly at that last part. He knew what it was like to feel unwanted, "So how exactly are we going to help her?"

Rin already had a plan made up in get head, "She's kind of latched on to me. I was the one who found her and I've been the one checking up on her at the hotel she's staying at. It's probably best if she stays with us for a while."

Obito chuckled at the thought of having another person staying at the mansion, "Sooner or later we're going to run out of room there."

Rin smirked at her husband, "We can always build on some new rooms."

Obito shook his head, "How do we always end up being the one who takes everyone in?"

Rin walked over and sat on her husbands lap, "Because you don't have the heart to turn anyone away. It's one of the things I love about you."

Obito held his wife close to him, "Go tell her she can stay with us when you get the chance."

Rin nodded, "Alright, did Anko get anywhere with Kabuto?"

Obito had some good news on that front, "Oh yeah. He spilled his guts and gave us some great info. Anko didn't use as much of her torture as usual, more mental games than anything. He was begging her to stop talking in just twenty minutes."

Rin was impressed, "Wow, go Anko. So what did he tell you?"

Obito wasn't sure how to answer that without terrifying her, "Just that Orochimaru's got some special weapon up his sleeve. We've already figured out how to counter it though."

Rin didn't like the sound of that, "What special weapon?"

Obito shrugged, "Don't worry about, it's already taken care of. It'll take too long to explain and you've got to go talk to Fu."

Rin couldn't argue with that, "Fine, but you'll be telling me sooner or later."

Obito breathed a sigh of relief. He'd dodge a bullet there.

* * *

Fu looked around her hotel room with a small frown on her face. It wasn't a very homey place to stay, it had plain brown walls and a lumpy bed. To be honest, it was kind of a dump.

There was a knock at the door and Fu got up to answer it. She was very pleased when she opened the door, "Lady Rin! I'm so glad to see you!"

Rin gave her a gentle smile, "You can just call me Rin. We just heard back from the hidden Waterfall."

Fu wasn't sure she wanted to hear this, "Do they...do they want me back?"

Rin knew Fu was gonna be crushed by this, "Actually, they want you to stay here."

Fu looked down, "I figured that much. So what do you want to do with me?"

Rin reached out and gave the girl a hug, "Don't say it like that. We were actually hoping you'd stay with me and my husband."

Fu's head shot up, "But you're married to the Hokage!"

Rin giggled, "He is indeed. We have several close friends who stay with us, we've got so much room after all. You'll stay with us, won't you?"

Fu nodded vigorously, "Of course, thank you so much!"

Rin was glad to hear it, "Go back a bag. We'll leave a soon as you you're ready."

Fu ran to grab her bag with a huge smile on her face. Looks like things were going to turn around for here after all.

* * *

Obito shuffled nervously in his chair as he thought about the battle to come how he was going to tell Rin. He had faced some powerful opponents in his life, but three Hokages? That was a lot even for him. Orochimaru was going to sacrifice three of his ninja's to revive three of the most fear men who'd ever lived, and Obito had to join Sarutobi and the others and pray that he could defeat them.

The First Hokage, master of the hidden wood style. A real legend, only Madara Uchiha was ever able to give him any kind of challenge, or at least that's what the older generation said anyways. The Second Hokage, the strongest water elemental who had ever lived, except maybe Kisame Hoshigaki. He could use extremely powerful water justus without being anywhere near water. Last, but not least, the Fourth Hokage. His legendary teleportation techniques were feared far and wide.

If everything Kabuto told them about that jutsu was true, then this wouldn't be an easy fight. Even with all the help he'd have, the odds didn't seem great. Obito never thought he'd see the day he had to fight his own sensei.

Strange thing was he wasn't actually afraid of the fight itself, just telling Rin about it. As strong as the people he was facing were, he knew he had the entire village and his family to protect so he couldn't lose. With something like that on the line, there was no way even the Hokages could beat him. Obito wasn't afraid, just determined. This was going to be one of the greatest battle's the Leaf had ever seen and Obito wasn't about to give up. He would make sure the Leaf and everyone in it was safe. You could count on that.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45, on with the second part of the preliminaries. I've been going over in my head who's going to face who over and over again, and it's been a pain in the butt trying to make it so that everything plays out like I planned it to. The only thing that's been really hard about that is making the fights believable, you know making sure that you could actually believe this guy could beat this guy and stuff like that. It's chapters like this that make me hate writing fight scenes so much. I'm really trying hard though to make these fight scenes the best they can possibly be. Oh, and I know Minato can't be properly revived, I'm going to use that later on. Well enough talking, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Temari and Tenten looked nervously at each other from across the arena. They had become really good friends ever since Tenten had started dating Kankuro, so neither of them were looking foreword to this.

On the same token though, neither of them were going to give up after getting this far. Tenten called over, "Nothing personal Temari, but I'm gonna have to kick the crap out of you right now."

Temari smirked. She was glad to see Tenten would be going all out, "Sorry Tenten, but you're the one who's going home here."

Hayate could see the two were quite ready to fight. He raised up his hand, "Temari vs Tenten. Begin in 3, 2, 1, GO!"

Tenten grabbed three kunai in each hand and threw them at Temari. Temari didn't bother to move, the kunai just went right around her. The weapons mistress just stared, "But...I never miss. My aims perfect."

Lee, who had decided to go stand by Kankuro, couldn't believe it. He screamed, "It is impossible! Tenten would never miss a stationary target!"

Kankuro was ready to smack him, "True, but Temari's got something special to deal with ranged weapons. Ten-chan drew the worst possible person she could have."

Lee frowned, "Surely there is something she can do?"

Kankuro sighed, "How the hell am I supposed to bounce back from this? Ten-chan's gonna be pist."

Tenten was suddenly wishing that she had been sparing with Temari all those times they'd hung out. Would've made this whole fight a hell of a lot easier. She got out one of her scrolls and launched as many weapons as she could manage at her. Once again, they just went right past Temari without leaving a scratch.

Temari had her fan out now, with one of the blue dots showing, "This is moon one, when you see all three it's over."

Tenten was really hoping to save this for the finals, but she was out of options. She pulled out two scrolls and went to her signature move, "Twin Rising Dragons!"

The scroll shot into the air and Tenten launched hundreds of weapons at Temari. Temari went to the second moon on her fan and swung it as hard as she could. The weapons flew back and Temari yelled over to Tenten, "Sorry about this, it might sting a bit."

Temari released the final moon and took one last swing at Tenten. She braced herself as best she could, but she still got plenty of small cuts on her arms.

Hayate knew it was time to end the match, "Tenten is unable to continue, Temari is the winner."

Temari walked over and helped Tenten up, "Not good for a long range weapon user to draw me as their first opponent."

Tenten couldn't really argue with that, "Tell me about it."

Kankuro ran up to his girlfriend, "You alright?"

Tenten pouted a little bit, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just can't believe I got knocked out."

Kankuro tried to make her feel better, "You got Temari to use all three moons, that's pretty impressive."

Tenten could tell what he was trying to do pretty quickly, "Thanks, but don't try and butter me up too much. I'm not mad at you or Temari, mostly just myself."

Kankuro gave a small sigh of relief, " Thank god. I wasn't lying though, you did great out there."

She gave him a small kiss on the cheek. Her boyfriend was trying hard, but you couldn't really cheer her up at this point, "Glad one of us thinks that."

Hayate called out the next names, "Kankuro and Zaku, please come down to the center of the arena."

Kankuro cracked his knuckles, "Looks like I'm up next. Don't worry, this shouldn't take too long."

Tenten gave a small laugh at his overconfidence, "If you say so. Just don't hurt the Sound guy too bad, okay?"

Kankuro jumped down yelling back to his girlfriend, "I make no promises!"

Zaku heard the whole thing and growled at the puppet master, "I don't know who you think you are, but you're going down makeup boy!"

Kankuro's eye started to twitch, "It's war paint! I'm so kicking your ass!"

Hayate raised his hand to start the match, "Kankuro vs Zaku. The battle will begin in 3, 2, 1, GO!"

Kankuro pulled out his favorite puppet, Crow, and launched some smoke bombs at Zaku. Zaku notice the purple tint to the smoke and figured they must be laced with some kind of toxin. He was careful not to breath in and raised his hands which had to nozzles in the palms. Compressed air shot out and the smoke blew away. Sadly, for Zaku, the smoke was more of a distraction than anything. He saw a flurry of senbon coming his and didn't have time to dodge all of them. While he did jump out of the way, several of the senbon still got embedded in his arm.

That's when Kankuro called over, "Those are laced with a fast acting poison from the hidden Sand. You'll be dead in less than five minutes if you don't surrender and I give you the antidote."

Zaku cursed under his breath, "Shit...fine, I cave."

Hayate couldn't believe it. The whole thing transpired in less than a minute, "Zaku has forfeited, Kankuro is the winner."

Kankuro pulled the antidote out of his pocket and tossed it to him, "Never make fun of a puppetmaster."

Zaku swallowed the antidote and walked back to his friends with an embarrassed look on his face. Kankuro got up to the balcony and Tenten gaped, "Wow! You said it'd be quick but that was just amazing."

Kankuro smiled at the praise, "Yeah, I did pretty good alright."

Tenten leaned in his ear and whispered, "Maybe I'll give you a little reward later for doing so well."

Kankuro shivered at the thought and her breath on his neck, "Oh, that sounds nice."

Hayate got the next two names and called them out, "Shino and Kiba, please come down to the center of the arena."

Kurenai cringed. It didn't happen all that often, but teammates would sometimes be forced face off against one another. Kiba was going ballistic, "What? Isn't there some kind of rule against this?"

Kurenai shook her head, "No, the matches are completely random. It's all luck of the draw."

Shino turned to Kiba, "Do not worry Kiba. We'll simply fight as if we were not teammates. To put it simply, don't hold back against me."

Kiba shot Shino a feral grin, "Alright, but you asked for it."

They jumped down and Jiraiya asked Kurenai, "You're their sensei, who's got the advantage here?"

Kurenai rubbed her temples, "With Kiba's style of head on attacking and nowhere for Shino to hide, I'd say the advantage is Kiba's."

Hayate raised up his hand and called out, "Kiba vs Shino. The match will begin in 3, 2, 1, GO!"

Kiba didn't waste even a second, tossing a soldier pill to Akamaru. The dog turn a reddish color jumped on his partners back. Akamaru tipped and Kiba raised his hands and yelled, "Man Beast Clone!"

Akamaru turned into an exact copy of Kiba. The two got into a fighting position as Shino raised his hands to send out a swarm of his beetles.

Kiba knew that if he got touched by those beetles the fight would take a turn for the worse. He and Akamaru decided to finish this fight as fast as they could. They charged at Shino and prepared for their best move.

The two Kiba's bodies started to spin until they looked like two small tornados, "Fang Over Fang!"

Shino knew that his beetles wouldn't be able stop Kiba and Akamaru, but if he was lucky he might be able to take the blow and a few of his beetles would just cling to Kiba. If that was the case, Shino might still stand a chance.

Kiba and Akamaru ripped through the beetles hit Shino in the chest. Shino hit the wall with a large hole in his shirt. He was still conscious, but just barely. Kiba could feel those beetles slowly sucking his chakra out. Akamaru was whimpering, the beetles sucked enough chakra out him that he'd been forced to change back to a dog.

He knocked off what was left of the beetles from his body and looked at Shino. The bug user stood up and got ready to try and gather up what was left of his bugs. Kiba knew he couldn't let that happen.

Making one last lung at Shino, Kiba aim to finish the fight. Shino went to raise his arms and send out his beetles, but it was too late. Kiba put everything he had in one last swing and hit Shino square in the jaw.

The young Aburame had lost, "Shino is unable to continue. Kiba is the winner."

Kiba picked up Akamaru and put him in his shirt and then walked over to Shino. He put his arm under his friends and helped back up to the balcony, "Nice job out there man. You almost had me for a second."

Shino gave a small cough, "Perhaps, but you still won."

Kiba shrugged, "Ya win some ya lose some."

Kurenai was glad to see there were no hard feeling between her students. She looked over Shino and said, "I think you'd better go and get yourself looked at. You're pretty beat up."

Shino nodded and asked, "Could someone help me get there? I'm not sure I could do it on my own."

On of the assistants came up, "Follow me. We've got something set up near here that should do just fine for you."

Shino thanked the man and followed him. However he stopped very quickly, "I can take a look at him."

Everyone looked over an Kakashi yelled, "Hey Mom!"

Rin gave a small wave. She had come in with Fu, "Hi everybody, just stopped by to watch Kakashi. Shino, I'd be happy to take a quick look at you."

Shino started to walk over to her, "Thank you very much lady Rin. Who's this you have with you?"

The green haired girl jumped slightly, "I'm Fu. I saw the end of your fight, your bugs are very impressive."

Shino was slightly surprised to hear that. Most people other than his friends hated his bugs, "Most people find my insect friends creepy."

Fu knew all about being found creepy, "Creepy's really a matter of opinion."

Shino agreed, "Yes it is."

Rin finished looking over Shino, "Nothing bad, just some scrapes and bruises is all. You'll be sore for a few days, but that's about it."

Shino was glad to hear it. He was also very interested in this green haired girl, but that would have to wait until later.

Hayate called out the next two names with nervousness visible on his face, "Hinata and Neji, please come down to the center of the arena."

* * *

I know, I'm a jerk for ending it here. You'll see what happens tomorrow, I promise.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46, man these preliminaries are taking a lot longer than I thought it would. As I'm guessing most of you figured out, the Hinata vs Neji fight is going to be way different from what it was in the canon. I'm not telling you who's gonna win, you'll have to read to find that out. The other fights I'll be doing in this chapter is Gaara vs Lee, alought that one will be pretty similar to canon except for the fact that Gaara won't be as cruel, and Shikamaru vs Kin, which will be pretty much the exact same. I'll be doing the final three fights in the next chapter, and thank god for that. I really had a lot to say about this chapter didn't I? Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

The whole room was completely silent. You could have heard a pin drop it was so quiet. Neji eyed Hinata cruelly from across the balcony and you could see Hinata wasn't expecting this at all. She had no desire to fight her cousin, but it didn't look like she was going to be given the choice. Hinata's goal was to save Neji and her entire clan from the caged bird seal and if she had to fight Neji to do it, she would.

Naruto leaned in and whispered in her ear, "You can do this Hinata-chan. Show Neji just how strong you've gotten."

Hinata gave him a small kiss on the cheek and turned to her sensei, "Any advice?"

Jiraiya already had a plan forming in his head, "He's already assumed he's going to win, so he won't see you as a threat. Come out swinging and you'll knock him straight on his ass. Shut down as many of his chakra points as you can in your first assault and don't let up until you absolutely have to."

Hinata nodded and went down to the center of the arena, with Neji soon doing the same. He scowled at his cousin, "Hinata-san, I would give up now if I were you. I'm the prodigy of the Hyuuga clan and you're far too weak to face me. It would be a shame if the future clan head were to embarrass herself here."

Hinata didn't seem the least bit phased by her cousins words, "I love you Neji-kun, you've always been like a brother to me. However, if you keep trying to insult me and my goal to become clan head, I will stomp you into the dust. One day I'm going to become clan head, and when I do the caged bird seal will be nothing but a memory."

Neji sneered, "You're pathetic. In this world we all have a set destiney which can not be escaped. Your destiny is to step aside for Hanabi, someone who understands her place in the world. My destiny is serve the Hyuuga clan as their personal prodigy. All you're doing is fighting the inevitable. Fate is unchangeable"

Hinata could see her cousin wasn't going to change his mind, "Fate is a word cowards use when they're too scared to try and change something. Please proctor, start the match."

Hayate was skeptical, but raised his hand, "Neji vs Hinata, begin in 3, 2, 1, GO!"

Hinata did just as her sensei told her and went straight into an offensive attack. Neji had started to get into a defensive postion,but like Jiraiya predicted Neji didn't view Hinata as much of a threat. He didn't bother to move fast, so Hinata caught him completely off gaured. After several hits to various chakra point, Neji recovers and started to deflect the hits.

Before long their hands became like blurs. No could really tell who was winning, hell they couldn't even tell who was getting hit. Finally they started to slow down and they looked like they had done about the same amount of damage to one another.

Neji panted, "You've gotten much stronger Hinata-san, but you'll have to do better than that."

Hinata just smiled, "I'm only getting started Neji-kun. I haven't even begun to show you what I can really do."

Neji got back into his fighting position, "Then show me what you've got."

He lunged at Hinata and the whole process started over again. Naruto looked at his sensei, "They're fighting so hard, you'd never imagine they're family."

Anko sighed, "Yeah, it's a different family dynamic alright. More violent than the typical family anyway."

Naruto was a little nervous for his girlfriend, but he had complete faith she'd win, "Neji doesn't stand a chance. Hinata-chan's gonna wipe the floor with him."

Anko kept watching the fight, "If she keeps up like that then she just might."

Neji and Hinata just kept going at it, making sure that neither one would get even a moments rest. Seeing that he had to end the fight soon or he'd be finished, Neji went for a strike straight at her chest. Hinata saw the blow coming and arched her back to avoid the hit.

Neji had no idea she was that flexible and that move wasn't exactly a part of the gentle fist style, "We'll that's new."

He didn't have time to try and figure out where she learned it from though. All he had time to do was defend himself from Hinata's counter attack.

Hinata went at him with everything she had. Of course, Neji fought back with just as much if not more effort. No one could tell who was winning or losing at this point. All they could do was watch in awe.

Finally the pair of Hyuugas stopped. Both of them looked ready to fall. Everyone watched breathlessly to see who had won.

Then it finally happened...Neji passed out. The entire room erupted in applause. Hinata had beaten the prodigy of the Hyuugas clan.

Naruto jumped down and carried her back up to the balcony, "Hinata-chan, that was amazing! You kicked his ass!"

Hinata giggled softly, "Yes, I suppose I did."

Jiraiya was clearly happy, "Alright, that one in finals for me!"

Anko smirked, "I see that arch dodge I taught you came in handy. That'll be useful for other things down the road too by the way."

Hinata was just happy that she'd done it. She'd beaten Neji.

They suddenly heard Rin calling, "Neji, get back here! You're limping and coughing up blood for gods sake!"

Neji soon appeared in front of his cousin, "Hinata, I ,cough, came to apologize."

Hinata could believe it, "Neji-kun..."

Neji gave another small cough, "If you can defeat me, then you can defy fate itself. Cough. You have my full support in becoming clan head."

Hinata was about to respond, but Rin pulled Neji away so that she could take a look at him. Naruto gave Hinata a small huge, "You can talk to him later sweetie, he needs rest right now."

Hinata didn't like it, but she knew he was right. She'd talk to him later.

Hayate called out the next two names, "Gaara and Lee, please come down to the center of the arena."

Lee practically exploded, "Yosh, I shall let my flames of youth burn brightly on the battlefield!"

Guy scream excitedly for his student, "Lee, you shall surely be victorious on this day!"

Kankuro gave his brother a funny look, "I think your biggest problem is going to be his freaking voice."

Tenten pouted, "Hey! Lee's just...okay, Lee's crazy. He's still a nice guy though."

Gaara went down to the center of the arena, still holding back a smile from what they'd just said about Lee.

Lee gave Gaara his classic thumbs up and yelled, "Gaara of the Sand, I shall defeat you on this day!"

Gaara raised an eyebrow, "We'll see about that."

Hayate raised his hand to start the match, " Gaara vs Lee, in 3, 2, 1, GO!"

Lee vanished in an instant, leaving everyone wide eyed. How can one person be that fast? He suddenly reappeared behind Gaara, attempting to give him a hard kick in the head. Gaara was pretty surprised, but not scared. Just as he thought it would, his sand formed a wall to protect him before Lee could do a thing.

Lee was impressed, "I see that your defense is as strong as they say. This will be an excellent fight."

Gaara simply replied, "You're quite fast, but I'm afraid that won't be enough to beat me."

Gaara sent a wave of sand at Lee, who barely dodged it. Lee jumped back and made another run at Gaara, only to be stopped by his sand again.

That's when Guy called out, "Take them off Lee, show them the power of your youth!"

Lee looked shocked, "But sensei, you said only to do that in emergencies!"

Guy nodded, "Yes I did, but this is an exception. Take them off Lee!"

Lee grabbed the weights had been wearing on his ankles, "If you say so Guy-sensei!"

Lee threw his weight off and the entire ground shook on their impact. No one could believe he was just walking around and running with weights that heavy on.

Gaara didn't even see Lee come at him this time. His sand literally saved him with just inches from his face.

Lee could see that he'd have to go with his most powerful attacks if he had any chance of beating Gaara. It was time to go all out. His skin changed color and he screamed out, "First gate, open!"

Jiraiya knew exactly what that was, "You taught him to open the gates? Isn't that a little dangerous?"

Guy had faith in his student, "Lee is the greatest student I've ever had! It was my honor to teach him how to open the gates!"

Jiraiya still wasn't sure, but he'd let it go for now.

Lee made another run at Gaara, only this time he actually got a hit. His foot connected with Gaara's face and Gaara couldn't believe it. Lee had actually gotten a good hit against him.

Gaara started to ramp up the power of his sand to compensate for Lee's increased speed. It got a hold of Lee and he opened the next gate, his skin getting a shade darker when he did.

The fight continued on like that for ten minutes. They just kept upping the stakes back and forth, the crowd watching on the edge of the balcony. This was one of the greatest fights they'd ever scene and from a couple genin no less. It was really a sight to behold.

Lee had reached his limit, the fourth gate, and was making one final charge at Gaara. Gaara knew if he didn't stop this attack, he might not win the fight. He released as much sand as he could and yelled, "Sand Tsunami!"

Lee hit his head on and was slammed into the ground. Gaara got ahold of his limbs with his sand and screamed at Lee, " Forfeit or I'll have to break your arms and legs. Please Lee, I don't want to do this."

Lee couldn't move at all. His gates had faded and he was pretty much spent at this point. Still, he muttered, "Can't give...up...must...win..."

That's when Hayate called the match, "Okay, I'm calling this!"

Guy yelled out, "But Lee still wishes to fight!"

Hayate shook his head, "Even you know Led would just get himself hurt if he stayed in. It's take months for him to heal from his injuries. Gaara is the winner."

Lee finally blacked out and Guy picked him up. He told Gaara, "Excellent match. Best of luck with the rest of the exams."

Gaara thanked him and walked back over to his brother and sister.

Hayate then called Shikamaru and Kin's match, but Naruto had gone with Hinata to talk with Neji who Rin had just finished healing. They were still on the balcony, but they weren't paying any attention to the match.

Hinata felt so happy to be able to talk with Neji again. He had locked her out for so long, but now it was just like old times again. It really made Hinata feel like she could pass these exams.

After a couple minutes, they looked over to see Shikamaru had won his match against Kin. Lazy kid just got her in a shadow possession and then banged her head against the wall.

Hayate stood in the arena once more to call the next competitors down, "Kakashi and Dosu, please come down to the center of the arena."

* * *

Another cliffhanger, I know. At least tomorrows the last one.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47, finally the end of the preliminaries. I think I've really underestimated just how long writing the chunin exams is gonna take me. When I started this I thought it would just take ten chapters, but now I'm thinking it'll take like twenty freaking chapters to get this done. Oh well, it's been pretty fun to write so far, so I'm more than happy to do it. We've got Kakashi vs Dosu, Sakura vs Ino, and Mito vs Sai. Mito's gonna be a little harder since I haven't really shown much of what she can do yet, but that might just work to my advantage. It'll be monday before I can post again, I've got busy weekend ahead me. I'm rambling again aren't I? Well, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Kakashi jumped excitedly when he heard his name called, "Alright, time for Kakashi to kick some butt!"

Anko did her best to calm him down, "Settle down Kakashi. We don't want you to get too overconfident here."

Kakashi just rolled his eyes, "Come on, Kakashi knows exactly how to beat this guy."

Anko raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? Tell me then, what you're gonna do."

Kakashi whispered something in her ear and Anko gave a little smirk, "Really? In that case you go fun with this guy."

Rin didn't understand. She wanted in on her son's little idea, "What is it? What's he planning?"

Anko just kept smirking, "You'll see. This is gonna be great."

Rin didn't know what her son was planning, but she had a feeling his opponent wasn't going to like it.

Kakashi jumped down the center of the arena and greeted Dosu, "Hey, you ready for a fight?"

Dosu couldn't believe this was his opponent, "I'm ready alright. You aren't gonna even know what you."

Kakashi gave a mischievous laugh and pulled something out if his pocket, "We'll see. Kakashi's got something special in mind for this fight."

Dosu just gave him a funny look, "Right...proctor, will you please start the match?"

Hayate raised his hand, "Dosu vs Kakashi, begin in 3, 2, 1, GO!"

Dosu figured he'd have this fight won in no time. His raised up his metallic arm and chuckled darkly, "Lets see how good your hearing is."

He activated his arm and waited for Kakashi to hobble over in pain...but he just stood there.

Kakashi gave him a blank stare, "Did you say something? Those bandages moved so Kakashi's pretty sure you said something."

Dosu screamed, "How are you still standing?"

Kakashi was smiling widely under his mask, "You'll have to speak up...Kakashi can't hear anything at the moment."

Dosu was about to ask what he meant when he saw something stuck in Kakashi's ear. He'd taken some cloth and created some makeshift ear plugs. That's when it hit Dosu, Kakashi had figured out the secret to his attacks.

Kakashi called over, "You're attacks are all sound bases right? Wait, why is Kakashi asking you? It's not like Kakashi can hear you."

Dosu was beyond angry. He's was getting outsmarted by this idiot? He had to prove to Lord Orochimaru that he deserved his praise. His melody arm might not be able to destroy his hearing, but he could sit use it to improve his attacks.

Dosu made a charge at Kakashi, intent on taking the boys head off. Before he could get close, Kakashi activated his Sharingan and jumped out of the way.

He made some hand seals and put his hand to his mouth, "Fireball jutsu!"

Dosu raised his melody arm, which absorbed the blow. Kakashi stood at the other end of the arena and said two simple words, "It's over."

Dosu didn't understand, "How do you figure?"

That's when he heard a new voice from the area his arm was in, "Sssssurprisssssse."

Dosu looked down to see a black viper slithering around his arm. It jumped up and bit him in the neck. Screaming in pain, Dosu ripped the snake off of him. He didn't have time to stop Kakashi from striking him in the head, knocking him out instantly.

Hayate stopped the match, "Dosu is unable to continue. Kakashi is the winner."

Kakashi jumped up to meet his friend who couldn't believe how easily he'd won. Naruto asked, "When did you get the snake on him?"

Kakashi laughed, "There was never a fireball, Kakashi just used a genjutsu. It was actually a snake that Kakashi launched at Dosu."

They were all very impressed, but were broken out of their thought by Hayate calling out the next two names, "Mito and Sai, please come down to the center of the arena."

Mito was glad she had finally gotten the chance to show what she could really do. Everyone just assumed she was good with medical ninjutsu, but she was one hell of a fighter too. She turned to Sai, "Sorry buddy, but looks like I'm gonna have to beat you senseless."

Sai didn't seemed phased, "I'm not exactly a slouch. Perhaps you shouldn't underestimate me."

Mito shrugged, "I'm not gonna lose this fight, so it doesn't matter how tough you are."

Sai still didn't seem convinced, "You're a med-nin Mito, they aren't exactly know for their combat skills."

Mito got a large tick mark on her forehead, "That's it! I don't care if we're friends, get in that arena so I can kick your ass!"

Sai could see he had offended her without intending to. Still, he didn't want to upset her anymore than he already had, so went down to the arena.

They got down there and Hayate raised his hand to begin the fight, "Mito vs Sai, in 3, 2, 1, GO!"

Sai grabbed a scroll off of his back and started to draw on it. Before long a swarm of birds flew of the scroll and went straight for Mito. She didn't seemed too worried about them, just took out some shuriken and threw them at the birds.

Much to her and everyone's surprise, the birds actually exploded. Mito covered her eye to avoid getting smoke in them and when it cleared Sai was charging at her with a kunai in his hand. Again, Mito didn't seem the least bit nervous. Sai took a stab at her with the kunai and to his shock she actually let him embed it in her shoulder. She grabbed his arm and threw him into the wall hard. Then she simply took the kunai out and began to heal her wound.

Sai figured she'd meant to do that. She knew she could heal herself while he was still dazed from getting threw into the wall. It was actually a decent plan to be honest. He would obviously have to step up his game if he was going to beat her.

With her shoulder all healed up, Mito decided to make a charge at Sai. It was Sai's turn not to seem nervous as reached on his back for his...scrolls? Where were his scrolls? They weren't on his back, or at least not all of them. What he pulled out was a bunch of melted paper. There was something else on his back too, something slimy.

Mito decided to fill him in, "I didn't just let you stab me so that I could throw you into the wall. I did it so that I could sneak on of my slugs on your. A lot of them can spit acid, the one on your back being one of them. Not so tough without your scrolls, are you?"

Sai couldn't believe how easily Mito had tricked him. Without his scrolls, he was limited almost completely to taijutsu, which he was at least relatively good with. Only question was, who was better at taijutsu, he or Mito.

Mito continued her charge and attempt to bury her fist into Sai's gut, but Sai was able to narrowly avoid it. He took out another kunai and threw it at her causing her to jump back to avoid it. Reaching in her pouch, Mito pulled out as many shuriken as she could and tossed them at Sai. Sai either deflected or avoid them, but at soon as he did Mito was bearing down on him. She swept under his legs and gave him a hard uppercut to the jaw. It nearly knocked him out, but Sai was just barely able to remain conscious.

Sai knew he had one chance left, and that was an all out assault. He started to throw every weapon he had, running straight at Mito as he did so. She start to dodge them and throw her own weapons right back, seeing that the fight was nearly over. Mito reached Sai and decided to finish the match. Although she wasn't as good with it as her mother, she was still able to use the super strength technique well enough to knock out Sai. Charging her fist with chakra, she smashed Sai directly in the cheek.

Sai hit the ground and was out cold. Hayate stopped the match, "Sai is unable to continue, Mito is the winner."

They went back to the balcony and Mito gave Sai a big smirk, "Told you not to underestimate me."

Sai, who had only just regained consciousness, nodded, "Yes, and you were correct. You're a very capable fighter."

Hayate called out the last names before Mito could respond, "Sakura and Ino, please come down for the final match."

Ino jumped down with a confident smile on her face, "Looks like I'm going final round, eh Sakura?"

Sakura smirked right back at her old rival, "Don't be too sure Ino. I've been training really hard too ya know."

Hayate raised his hand to start the last of the preliminary fights, "Sakura vs Ino, begin in 3, 2, 1, GO!"

Sakura went straight into attack mode, getting one of the genjutsus her sensei taught her ready. She had the smallest chakra reserves in her class, which made her great with genjutsu. Kurenai had absolutely loved having someone to teach her genjutsu to, and Sakura was going to use everything she had learned to beat Ino.

Ino wasn't planning on losing either. Between her training with her mind transfer jutsu and the work she's done with her parents plants, Ino had became a rather capable ninja.

Both of them had worked very hard. Now it was time to see which one of them would win for all their effort.

Sakura struck first, charging at Ino from the right. Ino turn and lunged at her with a kunai, only to have go straight through her body like it wasn't there. She realized it was a genjutsu and didn't have time to stop Sakura giving her a kick to the ribs.

Ino jumped back and threw the kunai she had been holding at Sakura so that she would jump away. Looks like Ino would have to use her trump card sooner than she thought she would.

Ino threw down some smoke bombs to blind Sakura so she could set up her last attack. Sakura coughed and looked up to see Ino had her hands raised in the shape of a triangle, "Game over Sakura, you ain't getting out if this one."

Sakura knew Ino's family used mind based jutsu, so she had feeling she knew what was knew she didn't have time to dodge it and she really wasn't sure what to do, "I'm not gonna just give up Ino!"

Ino couldn't help but laugh at her choice of words, "We'll see about that."

That's when Sakura started to feel something wrong with her head. It was like someone was trying to push her brain out it something. She clutched her head and screamed. Ino hated doing this to a friend, but had no other real choices.

Sakura suddenly felt like she was in a dream. Her body had started to move on her own and she raised up her hand. She began to speak, "I for...fore..."

Sakura screamed in her head, 'NO, I can't let it end like this!' She started to try and push whatever was in her head out of her mind, 'Get out!'

Ino's jutsu stopped and she was shot backwards, along with Sakura. Both were completely knocked out.

Hayate called out, "Both parties are unable to continue. Neither will move on to the final round."

Both girls were carried off, meaning that ten people had made it through to the final round. Anko was grinning proudly, "I was the only Leaf sensei to get all of my kids through, the rest of you only got one. How do like them apples?"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, "Yeah yeah, good for you. Can we just wait to see who the kids are gonna be facing please?"

Anko nodded and looked over at Hayate who was randomizing the matches as they spoke. With the ten that had come out, it would be an interesting tournament for sure.

* * *

You'll find out who's fighting who on Monday, maybe sooner depending on how busy I am. Till then, have a great Easter...or whatever holiday you celebrate if you don't Easter!


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48, lets see who's facing who. I'll cover the month that they train for the chunin exams in two or three chapters. Also I'll be showing Sasuke's handling his situation with Orochimaru. Naturally, I'll be getting Itachi involved with it but he's not going to know exactly what's going on of course. You'll all see what I mean in this chapter. Oh, and I gotta say thanks to you guys real quick for being so awesome with your reviewing lately, especially people like Chewie Cookies, Rose Tiger, Roboguy45, and so many others who review almost every chapter. That's pretty much I'll I've got to say about this chapter. As always, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Ten people had made it to the finals in total. One Rock ninja, three Sand ninjas, and six Leaf ninjas. There would have to be two fights before the quarterfinals to narrow down to eight, so four unlucky people would be getting an extra fight to two of the four.

All of the finalist watched breathlessly as the first match was called out, "Match one, Kurotsuchi vs Hinata."

The two girls smirked at each other from across the balcony. They were both clearly hoping to face one another.

Naruto was about to tell her to make sure and keep her cool during the fight, but Hinata stopped him, " Don't bother telling me to relax Naruto-kun. I'm kick her ass the moment I that fight begins."

Naruto just blinked a couple of times. He'd never seen Hinata so angry before. It was kind of...hot, "If you say so Hinata-chan."

The next match was called out, "Match two, Mito vs the winner of match one."

Mito wasn't really sure she liked that. If Hinata won then she'd have to face one of her best friends. Guess that's just way things went.

She was broken out of her thoughts by the next match being called out, "Match three, Kankuro vs Naruto."

Kankuro groaned. Naruto was one of the only two people he was really afraid of getting. He could actually keep up with Gaara for god sake!

He didn't have time to dwell on it though, "Match four, Temari vs Shikamaru."

That was not good. The couple looked at each other with questioning eyes. Shikamaru was the first to speak, "It's troublesome, but you'd better not hold back. I don't want you to risk promotion just for me."

Temari nodded, "Same to you, lazy boy."

Another match was called out, "Match five, Kakashi vs the winner of match four."

Kakashi was a little sad he wouldn't get to face someone at full strength, but at least either one of them would put up a good fight.

The last match was called out, "Match six, Gaara vs Kiba."

Kiba looked utterly terrified. He's wasn't sure he possibly could've gotten a worse first opponent. He'd have to make his first match a hell of a good one of he wanted to be promoted.

Hayate told the crowd one last thing, "You'll have a month to prepare for this fight. Train as hard as you can and be ready show what you've got a month from now. Good luck to you all."

Hayate walked out of the room and Anko turned to her students, "Meet me and the perv here at our usual spot in half an hour. Hinata, you come too.

They all were curious as to what was in store for them, so they immediately went to go to the training ground.

* * *

Jiraiya and Anko found their students had arrived ten minutes early. They really were excited for all of this. Anko spoke up first, "We've already got a training schedule ready for all four of you. Kakashi's gonna be the only one I'm gonna train personally since he's got the snake contract and he'll be training with his father and Itachi for his Sharingan some too. You know, when they have time off anyways. Don't worry though, we've got something for the rest of you too."

Jiraiya looked at Naruto, "Hinata's gonna be training with her father and cousin, so you and I are gonna go one on one for the next month."

Naruto was pumped, "Awesome! What are gonna do?"

Jiraiya gave a small chuckle at his enthusiasm, "I'll be helping you learn how to improve your control over the Kyuubi's chakra. Not to mention I'm finally gonna start teaching your fathers jutsu, the Rasengan."

Naruto looked like he was gonna explode, "Yes! Finally!"

Mito had an idea of what she was gonna be doing, "Let me guess, I'm training with mom?"

Jiraiya figured she already knew, "Yup, says she's got something special for you too."

Kakashi looked at Anko, "Will Sasuke train with Kakashi for the Sharingan stuff?"

Anko shrugged, "Probably."

Hinata was already up and going to her house, "I'll see you all later. I've got to go see father about my training."

Jiraiya and the rest of them waved as she ran off and then he looked at the rest of them, "Enjoy the rest off the day, because we really start training tomorrow. See ya then."

They left the training ground as their students happily chatted about their training. It was gonna be a crazy month, that was for sure.

* * *

Sasuke sat at the table at home, poking his food but not really eating it. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't think of a way to stop that snake Orochimaru's plan. He had to find a way to do while still making sure Kakashi wouldn't get hurt. However, that seemed all but impossible when facing someone as smart as Orochimaru.

Itachi walked in the kitchen and greeted his little brother, "Hello Sasuke. I heard you had to forfeit in the chunin exams due to chakra complications. I'm very sad to hear that, you could've gone quite far."

Sasuke didn't seem too concerned about it, "Yeah, I guess."

Itachi gave a small frown, "Everything alright little brother?"

Sasuke nodded nervously, "Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

Itachi could see he was lying, "Sasuke, you can't hide it from me. Something is clearly bothering you."

Sasuke got up from the table and left quickly. His brother him too well so he knew he wouldn't last long, "I said I'm fine. Please just drop it."

Itachi had wide eyes. He couldn't believe it, his brother never hid anything from him. What the hell was going on?

* * *

Hinata swelled with pride as she told her father about the fight. He let her go on about everything that happened, despite the fact that he already knew most of it.

Neji had gotten home before Hinata and told everyone what had happened. To say the Hyuugas council was shocked would be an understatement. Some had even claimed Neji had thrown the match for Hinata's sake. Of course, that wasn't the case. In fact, Neji had admitted to considering attempting to kill her during the match.

The council knew this made Hinata the front runner for clan head and they weren't happy to say the all knew of Hinata's intention to ban the caged bird seal, and she was getting close to doing it. With Neji's support the branch family now fully had her back too.

Hiashi gave her daughter a hug and told her, "I'm so proud of you Hinata. You're proving to this clan and everyone else just how strong you are. Tomorrow, I start teaching you one of our clans most prized techniques. Neji, I believe you've been working on it already."

Neji was surprised he knew, but nodded, "Yes, I've almost completed it. The Eight Trigram Palm Rotation, our most powerful defense. I would be honored to help Hinata learn it."

Hiashi chuckled, "I was going to help you complete it too, but if you wish to help Hinata learn it too I won't stop you."

The three of them continued to plan for the next month. It was gonna be some intense training, but they were ready.

* * *

Itachi and Hana sat in the park eating rice peacefully. It was beautiful day with lots of sun and a nice breeze. The two of them had been dating for the past three months and had found they really enjoyed one another's company.

They'd actually ended up going out when Hana's dogs tackled Itachi and started licking him one day. He'd been helping his little brother's team deliver dog food to the Inuzuka compound at the time. Hana offered to buy him lunch to make it up to him and things just took off from there. Itachi had accepted very quickly as he'd been rather attracted to her since they danced at Anko and Iruka's wedding. They were quite the couple.

Hana looked over at Itachi and could see he was deep in thought, "What are you thinking so hard about sweetie?"

Itachi took another small bite of rice, "Sasuke is hiding something from me. Something is very clearly bothering him but he refuses to talk about it."

Hana didn't see what the big deal was, "Maybe he's just got a crush or something."

Itachi shook his head, "No, if that were the case Sasuke would be asking me for advice. You have to understand Hana-chan, he doesn't hide things from me. There's something very wrong here."

Hana gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, "It'll be okay Itachi-kun. I'm sure Sasuke will come to you if it gets too serious."

Itachi still felt like something big was going on with his brother, but knew he couldn't do anything about it at the moment. He'd just enjoy the rest of his date for now. However, he'd be confronting Sasuje as soon as he could.

* * *

Naruto got to the training ground almost fifteen minutes early. He'd never been this excited before in his whole life. Jiraiya was finally gonna show him one of his father's most famous moves, the Rasengan. He'd be one of only three people ever to learn it. That was just freaking awesome.

When Jiraiya got training ground it didn't take long for him to see just he excited Naruto was. It was a good thing too, because this training wasn't going to be easy. He walked over and told him, "Sit down. I've gotta explain what all wet gonna be doing first. I'll be teaching you two things at once, so were gonna have to do it a little differently than we usually do."

Naruto couldn't wait, "Alright! So how are we gonna do it?"

Jiraiya motioned to a box he'd carried with him to the training ground, "That box is filled with water balloons. Go and grab me one of them."

Naruto didn't know what the hell he needed a water balloon for but knew better than to question him. He brought one over and handed it to him, "Okay, now what,"

Jiraiya took the balloon, "I'm gonna channel my chakra in this so that the water spins, and eventually the balloon pops. Like this."

Naruto watched as the balloon started to get little bumps all all over it and eventually popped. He had to admit, that was kind of awesome, "Cool, so that's all I gotta do?"

Jiraiya told him what else he had planned, "Make as many clones as you can and do what I just did. If you've got more clones than balloons, I'll go get you some more."

Naruto didn't get it, "Why would I do that?"

Jiraiya had figured all of this out earlier, "It's two fold. One, you'll get the memories of your clones making it easier for you and two, it'll drain even you of your chakra pretty quickly."

Naruto was starting to get the picture, "Okay, but why are we trying to drain my chakra?"

Jiraiya was getting a little tried of explaining all of this, "So that you have to use the Kyuubi's so we can train you with it. Look, just get started and come get me when you run out of chakra. I'm gonna be working on some sealing stuff under that tree."

Naruto nodded and started to make some clones. Time to get to work.

* * *

Kakashi looked at Anko confused, "Kakashi's gonna learn what?"

Anko rolled her eyes. She'd just gotten to their training ground and told him what she was gonna teach him, "Shadow snake hands, it's not that hard to remember. It's that thing where snakes come from my hands..."

Kakashi wasn't sure that made sense, "But Kakashi can already shoot snakes from his hands. He just summons them."

Anko smacked her forehead, "You don't shoot the snakes from your hands, your hands turn into a bunch of snakes that attack your enemy."

Kakashi went wide eyed, "That sounds awesome, show Kakashi how to do that!"

Anko sighed, at least he was excited.

* * *

Mito looked her mother as dhe discussed what she'd be teaching her. Tsunade pointed to the diamond on her forehead, "Do you know what this is?"

Mito shrugged, "A tattoo?"

Tsunade giggled, "No, it's a seal. I'm sealing off what ever extra chakra I have into this seal so that I can realse it later and heal myself without using any hand seals. That is what I'm gonna be showing you how to do. The first stage of it at least."

Mito was grinning ear to ear. Not only was she gonna be able to heal herself without any hand seals, but she'd have one of those cool diamonds on her forehead too.

* * *

That's it for now. See you all tomorrow.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49, let's get this training on the road. This chapter will mainly focus on Naruto's training since his is the most interesting. I'll be covering the other's training as well of course. I'm just gonna have to spend a lot of time with the whole Kyuubi thing. Oh, and I can't forget about Itachi and Sasuke's big talk that you'll see coming up. This chapter will be an easier one for me to write because character relationships are my specialty. Well, let's go and see that Kyuubi and get training already! As always thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Naruto sighed in frustration as he once again failed to pop the small water balloon in his hand. He'd been training for the past three hours, but he hadn't managed to pop even a single balloon. His clones hadn't had any success either. Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh as he watched the boy and his clones frustration.

Naruto shot him an angry glare, "Oh, and I'm sure you had such an easy time learning it! You probably had it mastered in like a freaking week!"

Jiraiya just kept laughing, "No, it was one of the most frustrating things I've ever had to learn. That's why I'm enjoying watching you have such a hard time with it. Sorta feels like payback for when your dad used to laugh at me. It sucked having to have your student teach you something and you not being able to do it."

Naruto just ground his teeth and went at it again. The water started to spin and the balloon started to expanded. It looked like it just might pop, it was getting close...but unfortunately, it didn't. Once again, Naruto threw his head back and groaned in anger. Why was this so damn hard!

Jiraiya could see he was about ready to pass out for exhaustion, so he knew it was time to move on to the next phase, "Alright, disperse all of your clones one at a time and tell me when you're finished. Then we'll move on to the next part of your training."

Naruto nodded and started dispersing the clones. It actually made him a little dizzy at first. Once he was done he walked over to Jiraiya, "Okay, now what? Is it something super cool?"

Jiraiya motioned for him to follow, "Come one, I've got somewhere special we've gotta go for this next part. You just calm down for now."

They walked together while Jiraiya nervously pondered how much of a good idea what he was about to do was. It didn't seem ethical, but there weren't a whole lot of options really. He needed to force Naruto to confront the Kyuubi, and this was the only real way to do it. The others were gonna kill him when Naruto told them what he was about to do. Oh well, gotta do what you gotta do he supposed. Naruto would forgive him eventually. At least Jiraiya hoped he would anyway...

* * *

Sasuke looked around briefly, trying to make sure that his brother wasn't home yet. He didn't see any sign of Itachi, so he stepped in the house timidly. It didn't take long before he saw that it was a bad idea, "Hello little brother, I think we need to talk."

Sasuke cringed, how the hell was he supposed to talk his way out of this one? He timidly turned to him brother, "Itachi, about earlier I was just,"

Itachi didn't let him finish, "Sasuke, don't lie to me. I'm trying to help you here, but I can't do that unless you tell me what's wrong. What are you hiding from me?"

Sasuke looked down at his feet, as he wasn't able to look Itachi in the eye, "I can't tell you what it is."

Itachi had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He put his hand on his brother's shoulder, "Why? Why can't you tell me?"

Sasuke's voice was barely a whisper, "Because it would put someone I care about in danger."

The sinking feeling in Itachi's stomach was only getting worse, "If you tell me who than I can protect them. Who's in danger?"

Sasuke shook his head. The boy was in tears at this point, "I've finally got

a family again, I can't risk them getting hurt. Please Itachi, just leave this alone. If you tell anyone he'll kill him for sure."

Itachi pulled his brother into a hug and held him tightly. He'd never seen Sasuke this scared in his entire life. Whatever had Sasuke so frightened had to be something bad, "Please Sasuke, just tell me what's going on. If you tell me than I can help you."

Sasuke shook out of his brother's grip and ran away, "Just stay out of it!"

Itachi watched in awe as his brother ran away from him once more. His stomach just kept sinking deeper and deeper. His brother was in danger and refused to tell him what the hell was going on. He really couldn't tell who was more frightened, him or his brother.

* * *

After about 20 minutes of walking, Jiraiya finally stopped at a cliff with running water below. Naruto looked over the tall cliff skeptically, "Um Jiraiya-sensei, what are doing all the way up here?"

Jiraiya walked up behind him, "Now that we've drained most of your chakra, we've gotta get you in a situation that forces you to use the Kyuubi's. Sorry about this kid, but it's for your own good."

Naruto didn't like the sound of that, "What's for my own, oof!"

Jiraiya gave Naruto a hard shove and he was sent flying off the cliff. Naruto screamed as he descended, his body quickly hitting the water. His sensei watching nervously from above, "Come on kid, you can do this. I got faith in ya."

Naruto slowly started to drift out of consciousness, his body going a little limp. He was still breathing, but it was going to take something special for him to survive. A little help from a friend…

* * *

Kakashi huffed as he failed to turn his hands into snakes again. Rather than turn into a bunch of snakes, his hands just become one big snake instead. Anko-sensei made it look so easy, how come couldn't he do it?

Anko walked over and asked him, "How much chakra are you using? You're doing the right hand seals, I know that much."

Kakashi wasn't sure, "Kakashi doesn't know, about as much as Kakashi's uses use to summon Kakumei."

Anko got an idea that she felt stupid for not thinking of sooner, "Oh my god, duh! We can have you use you're freaking Sharingan and just copy it. Why the hell didn't I think of that earlier?"

Kakashi suddenly realized he hadn't thought of that earlier, "Okay, but Kakashi's never done that before."

Anko shrugged, "There's a first time for everything."

Kakashi activated his Sharingan and watched Anko perform the jutsu again. He could see that Anko was spreading her chakra out through her fingers rather than just forcing to her whole fist like he was.

He tried it again and it went way better than the last time. Anko was impressed, "We'll that's prett handy."

Kakashi had to agree. This was gonna be a pretty useful ability. He made the hand seals and got back to work.

* * *

Naruto's eyes slowly started to open, but he didn't find himself in the water as he expected to. It looked like some kind of sewer actually. There wasn't much light, just a few small candles which made things barely visible. He could see what looked like some kind of prison cell at the end of the sewer. You could feel a strange power coming from inside it. Not knowing why, Naruro slowly started to walk towards it.

A large set of crimson eyes opened from behind the bars and deep voice shook the cavern, **"So, my jailer finally graces me with his presence. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"** The voice asked with sarcasm apparent in his tone.

Naruto looked past the bars to see a massive fox with nine tails flowing behind it, "So you're the Kyuubi? You're pretty damn big, that's for sure and you know why I came here."

Kyuubi gave a dark chuckle, **"Yes I do. That fool sensei of yours decided it was time for you start using my power. I must say, you feel for a rather simple trick. All that fool had to do was push off a damn cliff."**

Naruto was liking this fox less and less as he kept talking, "Look, if I die then you die. I'm just asking for enough chakra to get out of the river and keep myself alive when I need it. If there's something I can give you in return,"

Kyuubi snorted at that, **"Please, there's nothing you could ever give me that I would actually want. I'm stuck in this cage forever, so I don't think I have any use for anything in this world at the moment."**

Naruto frowned at his remarks, "Fine, then just do it so that we can both survive and you'll have strong container to boot."

Kyuubi didn't understand this kid at all, **"You know that I killed your parents don't you? That was completely of my own free will. Why on earth would you try and be reasonable with me?"**

Naruto winced at the mention of his parents death, "We're stuck together, whether we like it or not. We may hate each other, but we have to work together if we want to live. Bickering won't get us anywhere, so just work with me dammit!"

Kyuubi was impressed with his logic, but wasn't happy about being outsmarted by a teenager. The fox gave a reluctant sigh, **"Fine you miserable little brat, you can have use my chakra. However, I will cut you off at a moments notice if I feel I need to."**

Naruto was getting really tired if this, "Great, but we're running out of time. Lets get this show on the road already."

Kyuubi hated being told what to do by a mere child, but did indeed give the boy the chakra he needed. The sewer started to fade away and Naruto got ready to get out of the cliff. Things were about to get wild.

* * *

Naruto's eyes shot wide open. He was very deep in water and was starting to feel himself run out of oxygen. Swimming to the surface as fast as he could, Naruto got his head out of the water and breathed in as much air as his lungs could hold.

Once he felt like he was able to get his head cleared, he swam to a little patch of land that was near the bottom of the cliff. When he got there, he looked up to see that the cliff was way too steep to climb. Naruto could feel the Kyuubi's chakra flowing through him, so he knew he had enough to do what he was planning. He made some hand seals and slammed his hands on to the ground.

There was a massive puff of smoke and loud voice bellowed, **"Jiraiya, you'd better have a damn good reason for summoning me!"**

Naruto was standing just above the top of the cliff on the head of the boss toad Gamabunta. He told the giant toad, "Actually, that was me. I'm Naruto Namikaze."

Gamabunta broke into a big smile, **"Minato's boy? Well then it's about freaking time you summoned me. How've ya been gaki?"**

Naruto couldn't believe how friendly he became so quickly, "I'm doing pretty well, thanks for asking. Sorry about summoning you, but we needed to test the Kyuubi's chakra and mt life was in danger and,"

Gamabunta just waved him off, **"Relax kid, first one's free. Just don't summon me again unless it' big and you and I will have no problems."**

Naruto jumped off his head and thanked him, "Thanks Gamabunta, I owe you one."

Gamabunta gave a small nod and poofed away. Jiraiya walked over to Naruto to apologize but was cut off by the boy, "That was a dick move, but you were doing what you had to do. Pay for my ramen for the next month, and I won't tell the others about this. Deal?"

Jiraiya chuckled and shook his hand, "Deal."

* * *

That's all for now. Tomorrow I cover Hinata and Mito's training and Naruto finishing up with the Rasengan. See ya soon.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50, the last one before the final round of the chunin exams. I already told you that I'm gonna be covering Naruto finishing his training with the Rasengan, so we've got that up along with Mito completing up her training with her mother's seal jutsu and Hinata's training with the Eight Trigram Palm Rotation. That's a lot to cover in just one chapter, but I think I can pull it off just fine. Time to get this thing started. As always, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

The finals of the chunin exams were now just three weeks away, and every training ground in the village had someone working hard to complete as much as they could before their big fight. One training ground in particular was filled exact copies of one particular knucklehead ninja. Naruto Namikaze, was hard at work trying to complete his father's jutsu.

Jiraiya watched as the army of Naruto's continued to work on the Rasengan, with little success. He was about to step in when he heard the sound of a balloon popping. All of the clones stopped and turned to the source of the sound, one very nervous looking clone, "Um...I dropped it on the ground and it started to roll, then it popped. Sorry."

One of the other clones walked up with and angry look on his face and smacked the other clone on the top of the head, causing him to dispel. The real Naruto started to grumble angrily until he stopped suddenly. He took his balloon out and started to work his chakra on it again. Sure enough, this time it popped.

Jiraiya jumped over, "Nice job, how'd you finally figure it out?"

Naruto gave him a foxy grin, "When I got the clones memories, I saw that when he dropped it and it started rolling the water was spinning in all different direction when it popped. I used my chakra to spin the water in bunch as many directions as I could manage, and it worked. guess that's why mine was smooth while yours was bumby."

Jiraiya was glad he'd figured it out, "Good job. Dispel all of your clones, they'll only make this next part harder."

Naruto did as he was told, again getting a little dizzy when he did, and looked up and his sensei, "Alright, so now that I can pop the balloon, what's next?"

Jiraiya pulled out a rubber ball, "Next you have to pop this, and let me tell you it's a hell of alot harder. You'll need all of the chakra you can get to pop this bad boy."

Naruto's stomach started to growl, "Okay, then let's go get some ramen. I'm gonna need my strength."

Jiraiya went pale. He'd only been paying for his ramen for a couple of days but Naruto had already almost made him cry. He thanked god he was rich, otherwise he didn't know how in the hell he'd be able to bounce back from this kid's appetite.

* * *

You could hear the sounds of impatient groaning ringing through the halls of the Senju mansion. Mito sat with her legs crossed on the floor trying focus on creating the seal like her mothers on her forehead.

It turned out to be much more complicated than she ever anticipated. You didn't just have to put some seal on your forehead, you actually had to link that seal with your entire chakra network. Turns out while you had hundreds of chakra coils, they all originated from the same location. The seal was designed to store up whatever new chakra was created that wasn't needed so that it could be released to heal the body without any hand seals.

Making sure all of the coils linked up in right way took a lot of concentration. If you messed up even once, you had to start all over again. This was Mito's fifth attempt at making the seal, and she was about 3/4 of the way there. It was easily the farthest Mito had gotten.

Sadly, she once again made a small error. Mito knew the instant she made it and screamed, " Are you freaking kidding me!?"

Tsunade laughed as she watched her daughter, "Don't worry, you'll get it eventually. Probably the next at the rate you've been growing."

Mito hoped she was rights. She grumbled to herself, "It'd better be."

* * *

Naruto had been spending the past two days trying to pop that damn rubber ball. Jiraiya said that it was gonna be harder to pop it than the ballon, but this was way beyond hard. He just kept pouring in more and more chakra into it but it just wouldn't pop.

Taking another deep breath and gathered every ounce of chakra he could manage and poured it all into the ball. The ball started to contort and twist, becoming bumby. It gave one final expand and then...POP!

Naruto fell to the ground and started panting. Jiraiya, who had been watching from a nearbye tree, came down and gave the boy some water.

He couldn't help but be impressed, "Nice job kid. You're finishing this thing even faster than I did."

Naruto took a big gulp of the water and kept panting, "So does this mean I'm ready for the last step?"

Jiraiya nodded, "Yup, but it's the hardest of the three."

Naruto sighed, "Can you carry me home? I think I'm gonna wait until tomorrow to start it and I don't think I can walk home right now."

Jiraiya picked him up, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

Naruto had one last question, " Can you get me some ramen on the way home?"

Jiraiya was starting to understand how Tsunade felt when she made a big bet and lost. This kid was gonna put a dent in even his finances. Still, he had done a great job, "Yeah, I'll get you some ramen."

* * *

Hiashi watched as the clan members who agreed to help Hinata got there practice kunai ready. They were wooden and blunt, so they would hurt but not kill. Hinata had come close to completing the Eight Trigram Palm Rotation, and Neji had completed it only two days ago. With just a little more work, Hinata would have it down for sure.

Hiashi called to his daughter, "Remember to pour chakra out of every pour in your body and use your palms to channel it evenly into a dome to protect you."

Neji was watching as well and Hinata's little sister Hanabi yelled over, "You can do it Hinata!"

Hinata was happy to see so many people rooting for her. She motioned for them to begin and got ready to defend herself.

They threw all of the practice kunai at her and she started to spin around with her are stuck out. She was surround by a blue veil of chakra that made a dome around her.

Everyone held their breath as the practice kunai got close to the dome. They hit the dome and bounced off. Everyone in the Hyuuga training ground started to cheer. Hinata was smiling brightly. She'd done it!

Hanabi ran up and gave her a hug, "Awesome job Hinata."

Neji gave her a small bow, "Well done lady Hinata."

Hiashi simply gave her a nod and smile. He told her five simple words that made her heart nearly jump out if her chest, "I'm proud of you Hinata."

Hinata looked around her at all of the people who were cheering for her. This was one of the best days of her life.

* * *

Naruto didn't understand at all why he would need to do this, "You want me to make a Rasengan without popping the balloon? Can you actually do that?"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, "Well yeah, it's the last step in mastering it. You've got the shape down and the power, now you need to learn how to control it. Once you can make a full Rasengan in the balloon without popping, then you can start trying to actually use it on things."

Naruto liked the sound of that. He braved the balloon and got to work.

* * *

Mito was being more careful than she has ever been in her life. She was just a few minutes from finishing the set up for the sealing jutsu. In just 3...2...1...

That's when Mito screamed, "I did it! I finally did it!"

Tsunade looked at her daughter with pride in her eyes. Mito was gonna be one hell of a med-nin, "Good. All you've gotta do now is wait for it to gain enough chakra for it to actually be of some use. We'll just practice with your taijutsu until then."

Mito wasn't really listening. She was too busy bouncing up and down in excitement.

* * *

Jiraiya walked to the training ground to find small circular indents on all of the trees around the area, "You weren't suppose to start trying it until I got back."

Naruto, who was standing next to a tree out of breath, called back, "I know, but you were taking freaking forever. Where did you go anyway?"

Jiraiya pulled food out of the bag he was carrying. It was mostly fruits and vegetables, "Tsunade and Rin have been on my back about you eating too much ramen lately. I wonder why that could be?"

Naruto smiled like he had no clue what was going, "Yeah, I wonder why."

Jiraiya tossed him an apple out if the bag, "Just get some healthy stuff in my system so they'll leave me alone."

Naruto caught the apple and took a big bite, "Fair enough."

Jiraiya took some food out for himself and asked Naruto, "How close have you come?"

Naruto pointed to the most recent mark he'd made, "I don't know how you'd gauge it, but that's the deepest I've gotten so far."

Jiraiya inspected the mark and said, "You're doing alright considering you just started. You've still got a long way to go though."

Naruto knew he was right but didn't like it, "That sucks. How long do you think it'll be?"

Jiraiya wasn't sure, "That depends on how hard you work."

Naruto scoffed, "In that case, I'll have this thing mastered by the end of the week."

Jiraiya thought that sounded a little to confident, "Mastering the Rasengan in just week? I'm not sure that's possible."

Naruto didn't seem nervous at all, "I'll have it mastered before the weeks out. That's a promise."

Jiraiya had to admit, if anyone could do it, it was Naruto, "We'll see kid, we'll see."

* * *

Sure enough, on the last day of the week, "One week! How the hell did you master it in one week? It took your father almost three years to make it and it took him ages to teach it to me!"

Naruto turned away from the tree he'd destroyed and tried to get his sensei's attention, "Um, sensei..."

Jiraiya just kept yelling to himself, "That shouldn't even be possible!"

Naruto decided to go home. Jiraiya would come back to the real world eventually...and then he would buy Naruto more ramen

* * *

Alright, next up the finals of the Chunin exams! That's gonna be a lot of writing to do, and I'm really excited for it. See you all then.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51, it's time for the finals baby! Woohoo! Oh crap, that means I've gotta right more fight scenes don't I? Oh well, these ones are gonna be a lot of fun to write. First, the one I know a lot of you have been waiting for, Hinata vs Kurotsuchi! This fight is one of the ones I've been the most excited for. I've been thinking about things I'm gonna do for it since I decided to do this fight. Well, I've strung you guys along for long enough now, let's get this things started! Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

The entire village was ready and excited for the biggest event of the year, the finals of the Chunin Exams. They had people from all over the elemental nations coming to watch. Even the hidden Rock was having the Tsuchikage coming to see his granddaughter fight. Every person in the village was going to attend. After all, they had the children of multiple kages fighting today. There wasn't a person in the village who was going to miss something like that. With the stage set for possibly the greatest Chunin exam in the history of the Leaf, no one knew for sure what was going to happen but everyone was more than ready to find out.

* * *

Obito waited nervously by the gate of the hidden Leaf for his two fellow Kages, or at least one and one snake, to arrive. It was just such a scary thought, having two of the Leaf's greatest enemies visiting at the same time. The young Hokage wasn't entirely sure how he would handle all of this.

Onoki, the great fence sitter, had a deep burning hatred for Leaf for as long as anyone could remember. While an incredibly powerful shinobi, he was also a very bitter man. There had been rumors for years about what had triggered the great rivalry between the hidden Leaf and the hidden Rock, but only those who were in charge at the time actually knew what started it. The only person left alive who knew truth was Onoki, and he refused to tell anyone anything. Having him in the Leaf was keeping everyone just a little bit on edge.

Then, there was the traitor Orochimaru. The monster had some how managed to the kill the Kazekage and was now masquerading in his place. He intended on destroying the Leaf, but Obito and his friends had created a plan to counter pretty much everything he had planned. Still, it wasn't exactly a good thing that he was coming home.

Onoki was the first to arrive and he scowled at Obito the moment he saw him, "Let me say this and get out of the way early. I don't trust the Uchiha clan and I don't trust the hidden Leaf. That means that I really don't trust you. If my granddaughter weren't competing in this thing, I wouldn't even be here right now. You'd do well not to upset me, got it?"

Obito could already see this guy was going to be a handful, "Understood lord Tsuchikage. I had no intention of starting any issues while you were here. It wouldn't be good for either of our villages to be involved in a big conflict right now," Obito realized the irony of that sentence the moment he said it. The hidden Leaf was likely going to have a massive battle before these exams were over," Once the Kazekage arrives, I'll simply escort you to your hotel and you may relax as you please."

Onoki muttered under his breath, "As if I could ever relax in hole like this…"

Obito was about to ask him what he said, but the false Kazekage had arrived. Orochimaru did his best to imitate the deceased Kage, "Lord Hokage, a pleasure to be in your is very nice to see you."

Obito had to stop himself from attacking the snake then and there, "Lord Kazekage, it's good to see you as well. If you would follow me, I will lead you and the Tsuchikage to your hotels."

The Kazekage began to follow, "Yes, why don't we do that."

The three of them walked, or floated in Onoki's case, down the street to the hotel. It was quite a sight to see the three of them together, but any shinobi could feel the tension that the small group was feeling for one another. All of them knew that they couldn't trust one another at the moment, but would play nice for the time being.

* * *

All of the sensei's stood with their students in the massive stone arena. A massive crowd was cheering behind them, eager to get the fighting started. Naruto walked over to Hinata to wish her luck one more time, "You ready kick some ass, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata show the boy a smirk, "If it's Kurotsuchi's, gladly."

Naruto gave her one last good luck kiss and Jiraiya walked over to them, "Your dad went over your training with me. If you've learned what he said you did, you've gained huge advantage in this fight. All you really have to do is stay out of her ash, and you're golden."

Hinata nodded and heard the proctor, Genma, calling for her, "Hinata and Kurotsuchi, please come down to the center of the arena."

Turning to her friends, she told them goodbye and made her way down to the center of the arena. Kurotsuchi was there waiting for her, "You ready to get the shit kicked out of you in front of your boyfriend?"

Hinata didn't seemed the least bit phased by her words. If anything they got her more ready, "Talk all you want, because you're gonna have a hard time doing it when I knock all of your teeth out."

Kurotsuchi's eye started to twitch in anger, "Okay procter, start the damn match!"

Genma raised up his hand, "Match one, Kurotsuchi vs Hinata. In three...two...one...Begin!"

Hinata immediately brought her hand to strike Kurotsuchi's chakra points Kurotsuchi narrowly dodged the first hit nod was them forced to jump back when Hinata made a sweep for the legs. The Rock ninja hadn't been expecting her to be so fast.

Kurotsuchi made some hand seals and slammed her fist into the ground like she did against Samui, with the same result. The ground started to crack like a spider web and Hinata barely had time to get out of the way of the stones flying her way.

The Tsuchikage was laughing up in the Kage's box, "That Hinata girl doesn't stand a chance against my granddaughter. She's one of our finest young kunoichi."

Obito didn't think so, "Hinata's a very talented ninja herself. I wouldn't underestimate her if I were you lord Tsuchikage."

Onoki didn't respond, he simply watched as his granddaughter prepared her next attack.

Kurotsuchi got as fat away from Hinata as she could and started to snake some more hand seals. She put her hand to her mouth and launched a black cloud at Hinata. Hinata knew exactly what she had to do.

The ash started to close in on Hinata, who had started to spin on the balls of her feet. Before anyone could see what she was doing, the ash made it completely impossible to see her. Just when Kurotsuchi was about to jump into the ash, she could see some kind of blue light coming from the ash. Before long, all of the ash was pushed off by something. Kurotsuchi had no idea how Hinata did it, but it was clear she had some kind of counter to her ash.

Kurotsuchi could knew this meant she was gonna have to move on to her most powerful attack. She started to make moe hand seals, but had to stop when she saw Hinata throwing kunai at her.

She was able dodge the kunai, but Hinata started charging at her the moment she did. Kurotsuchi made some hand seals as quickly as she could and made an earth wall to protect herself while she prepared her most powerful attack.

Hinata used her gentle fist to break through the wall, but found Kurotsuchi with her hands to her mouth.

"Burning Ash Bomb!"

Hinata didn't have much time. She immediately got on her feet and started spinning. While most of the blast was reflected off of the rotation, Hinata did get some of the blow.

When the ash cleared, Hinata had some burns on her body but most of it had been reflected off to Kurotsuchi.

She tried to stand up, but Hinata wouldn't let her, "Oh no you don't."

Hinata gave her a hard strike to the chest. With Kurotsuchi already hurt, that blow to the chest knocked her out without much trouble.

Gemma called the match, "Kurotsuchi is unable to continue, Hinata is the winner."

Onoki couldn't believe it, "She lost...she actually lost...

Obito fought to hold back a smile, "I told not to underestimate Hinata."

Hinata got back to her friends who went to give her a hug. She stopped them before they could get to her, "Please don't, these burns are actually pretty bad."

Naruto gave a mock pout, "I can't even hug my own girlfriend?"

Hinata giggled, "Maybe later."

Jiraiya looked her over. Those burns were pretty bad, " Will you be able to continue?"

Hinata wasn't sure, "How long before my next match?"

Jiraiya thought about, "If I had to guess, I'd say that it would be at most 30 minutes. You were supposed to go next, but I'm sue since you just went they'll let you move it to last."

Hinata had one last thing to ask before she could make her decision, "Do you think another match would improve my chances of becoming a chunin?"

Jiraiya didn't think so, "Not likely, you've already shown the council that you can fight and as much as I hate to say it, you're in no condition to fight. To be honest you have a good chance a making chunin right now as it is."

Hinata wasn't quitter, but she also wasn't a moron, "I'll just forfeit. I'm not gonna put myself in danger for absolutely no reason at all."

Jiraiya nodded, "Good choice, I'll go tell the proctor."

* * *

Choji walked back to the balcony having bought some new bags of chips to replace the ones he ate. He was about to go out to balcony to join his friends when he heard the sound of someone crying nearby.

It took him a second, but eventually he found the Rock nin Hinata had just faced sitting down and crying in her hands. He walked over to her, "You okay?"

Kurotsuchi didn't look up, "Do I look okay?"

Choji sat down next to her, "I know it's hard to lose to rival, but you don't have cry."

Kurotsuchi wiped her eyes, "No, it's not that. I lost fair and square. It's my granddad, I completely let him down again."

Choji didn't see what the big deal was, "You got to the finals of the chunin exams. How is that letting him down?"

Kurotsuchi sighed, "I failed my mission. My granddad always tells me that missions are too dangerous for me, even though I was the too kunoichi in my class. This was finally my chance to prove to him that I could do it, but I couldn't even seduce a freaking teenage boy."

Choji patted her on the back, "It's not your fault, he just really cares about Hinata, that's all...do you want a chip?"

Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow, "What?"

Choji shrugged and held out the bag, "Always makes me feel better."

Kurotsuchi gave a small giggle and took a chip, "Thanks. You're pretty easy talk to. Kinda like a big teddy bear."

Choji laughed, "Yeah, I'm about the same size as one too."

Kurotsuchi gave him a small hug, " Yeah, but you're a cute one. Thanks for cheering me up. I think...I think I need to go apologize to that blue haired girl."

Choji agreed, "Yeah, that probably a good idea. Come on, I'll take you to them."

* * *

"And that's about it...I'm really sorry about how I acted like a bitch back there," Kurotsuchi finished she apologize to Hinata.

Hinata raised her hand to stop her, "I'm gonna be a clan head, I understand being forced to do something you don't want to. I got all of my anger out in my fight. It's all water under the bridge."

Kurotsuchi was amazed at how nice these guys were. Especially that Choji kid...

They were all broken out of their thoughts by Genma yelling, "Naruto and Kankuro, please come down to the center of the arena.

* * *

Naruto vs Kankuro tomorrow, see you then!


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52, time for Naruto vs Kankuro and Temari vs Shikamaru. I've been been thinking that I need a pairing for Choji and Kurotsuchi just seemed perfect for it. I really don't know why,but those two seemed really well fit for one another. I'll be doing some Fu and Shino stuff this chapter too, so it should be an interesting one. Naruto and Kankuro should be a pretty easy fight to write and I think that the Shikamaru and Temari I'm just gonna make canon for the most part. Well, all I've got to say for this chapter. As always, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Naruto nearly jumped right into the ring in excitement, but Jiraiya stopped him before he could, "Calm down gaki, we've gotta make a plan first."

Anko, who had just gotten back from getting herself some dango, asked Jiraiya, "Wait, wasn't Mito supposed to face Hinata next? Did it get moved back?"

Jiraiya shook his head, "No, she forfeited. Hinata was in too bad a condition to fight."

Anko gave a small pout, "Dang it, that means my students get one less fight. Where's the fun in that?"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes and turned back to Naruto, "As I'm guessing you already know, you wanna show off as little of your new abilities as possible. Stick with long ranged attack and avoid everything Kankuro sends at you. If I were you, I'd be using as many shadow clones as I could and just avoid any head on fighting with him all together."

Naruto thought about and had something in mind, "Remember that thing we were talking about? You know, with the demon wind shuriken?"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, "Yeah what about...Oh, that's perfect? All you gotta do is keep from getting hit until you're in a good position to launch it at him."

Anko took a bite of her dango, "What demon wind shuriken thing?"

Jiraiya just laughed, "You got to keep Kakashi's strategy against Dosu a secret, let me keep Naruto's strategy against Kankuro a secret."

Naruto jumped down into the arena while the two of them were talking. They weren't the only ones talking about the fight either. The Kage box was discussing it as well. In particular, the fake Kazekage was pretending to talk up his son, "I'd be worried about the Namikaze boy if I were you. My son is a master of puppetry and has some of the Sand's most

deadly poisons. Naruto could be knocked out in the blink of an eye."

Obito wanted to burst out laughing at that comment, but restrained himself. As if Naruto would loose so easily, "Naruto is one of our villages greatest up and coming ninja's. You're son should be quite nervous as well, lord Kazekage."

The fake Kazekage didn't say anything more, just watched as the two competitors entered the arena. Everyone was sure this would be an interesting fight at least.

When the two of them entered the arena, Kankuro was the first to speak. He seemed nervous about fighting Naruto, but not too nervous, "You might be able to give my brother a run for his money, but you don't have that crazy defense like he does. You'd better not take me lightly."

Naruto knew Kankuro wasn't going be an easy fight, but he had no intention of losing, "I won't Kankuro, but you'd better be ready for the special little trick I've got in store for you."

Kankuro was about to ask what that meant when Genma interrupted him, "Naruto vs Kankuro in three…two…one...Begin!"

Naruto made his favorite hand seal and created three clone sending them all at Kankuro. Kankuro didn't move, in fact he didn't even seem nervous. The clones hit Kankuro at different spots. One went for his head, another his knee, the last one his side. Rather than scream in pain, Kankuro to twitch a little bit. Blades shot from his hands and a kunai from his mouth, taking out all three clones. That's when Kankuro's face busted off, revealing that his puppet was actually the one standing there while he was in the bundle on its back.

Kankuro unrapped himself and told Naruto, "Sending your clones out first, not a bad plan. But you'll have to do better than that if you want to beat me."

Naruto cracked his knuckles and got ready, "Oh, I intend to."

Kankuro raised his hands and sent crow after Naruto. Naruto did a backflip to get out of the way, one of crow's blades narrowly missing his cheek. Opening his mouth, crow launched three poison smoke bombs at the blonde. A cloud of purple smoke descended on Naruto and Kankuro watched closely to see if he had one.

He heard screaming from the mist, "Great Air Repulsion."

The mist cleared and Naruto stood there smirking. Looks like Kankuro wasn't going to be able to use his usual poisoning techniques. He was going have to hit Naruto directly if he wanted to poison him.

Kankuro used crow to launch a bunch of senbon at Naruto. Naruto made as many clones as he could to shield him, so many to the point that you couldn't even see the real Naruto anymore. Kankuro was about to launch another attack, but stopped when he saw a demon wind shuriken heading his way. It narrowly missed, embedding itself in the ground next to Kankuro.

Kankuro was about to comment on how badly Naruto had missed him, but was stopped when he felt a new presence next to him. Naruto was next to him and the demon wind shuriken was gone. Naruto gave Kankuro a hard kick to the face, sending him flying backwards.

Naruto was about to go into end the fight when he saw one of crow's limbs flying at him with its blade extended. With only seconds to spare, Naruto ducked and the blade got stuck inside a tree.

Kankuro had used that time to get back up and repositioned himself. Naruto was ready to counter though, with a small army of clones. The crowd watched on the edge of their seats. There were so many clones and crow was moving so fast, no one could tell what was really going on. Finally, a loud grunt could be heard from Kankuro, followed by Naruto's clones backing off.

Genma could see that crow wasn't moving and Kakuro looked knocked out. He raised up his hand, "Kankuro is unable to continue, Naruto is the winner."

The two were escort back to the balcony. Kankuro met up with Tenten first, "Well, that was actually pretty fun."

Tenten thought it looked pretty fun herself, "Yeah, it was great fight."

Naruto was over on the other side of the balcony being congratulated by Anko, "Nice job gaki, that thing with the demon wind shuriken was freaking brilliant."

Naruto gave one of his foxy grins, "Yeah, that was one of my better moments."

The group was still talking to Naruto talk when they noticed Shino walking up with Fu, "Hello Naruto, that was a very impressive match. Fu and I enjoyed it very much."

Naruto looked at the two of them and raised an eyebrow, "You an Fu huh?"

Shino blushed slightly, though you couldn't see it, "We have entered a relationship that is starting to take more of a romantic nature, yes."

Fu held his hand, "We've found we've got a lot in common."

Kiba asked half jokingly, "You mean that you've both got bugs inside of you?"

Fu actually laughed. The group found out about her being a jinjuriki shortly after she arrived. Much to her surprise, they were all very accepting of her. She'd never had anyone actually willing to try and understand her, which these guys actually did. It actually got to the point that she would joke with them, "I was referring to us both having problems due to things we can't control and both having an interest in bugs, but yeah that too."

Genma called down the next match, "Temari and Shikamaru, please come down to the center of the arena."

Up in the Kage's box, Obito and false Kazekage were once again discussing the battles, " Your son put up quite a fight." Obito complimented

The false Kazekage wasn't so quick with the praise, "He fought hard, but her still lost the battle."

Obito one again felt the urge to knock this guy across the hidden Leaf, "I feel that they both did very well. This next match should be an interesting one, two incredibly smart ninjas facing one another."

On that the Kazekage agree, "Yes, I'm looking foreword to this little battle of the minds. It'll be a very enjoyable match to watch."

Obito was about to respond when Itachi came up behind him and whispered, "Sasuke still refuses to leave the estates."

Obito frowned deeply, "Then make him come."

Itachi shook his head, "It wouldn't do any good. He still won't talk to us and I doubt he'll talk to his friends either. Sir, I really don't know what to so here. My brothers never been like this."

Obito didn't really have a clue either, "Just get him here and let me talk to him. I think I might know how to get through to him."

The false Kazekage chuckled as Itachi walked away, "Trouble in your village?"

Obito simply turned to watch the match, "That is none of your concern."

In the center of the arena, Shikamaru and Temari were preparing for the battle ahead of them. Shikamaru asked, "Ready for a fight, troublesome woman?"

Temari pulled the fan off of her back, "As ready as you are lazy boy."

Genma once again raised his hand to start the match, "Temari vs Shikamaru, in three...two...one...Begin!

Shikamaru jumped back and then...took off his coat and..tied a kunai to it. Even Temari stopped for a second to give him a funny look. She didn't have time to figure out what he was doing though. When facing Shikamaru, every move meant something. It was best just to strike fast before he had a chance for whatever he was planning could come full circle.

Temari raised up her fan and took a big swing at Shikamaru. He threw the kunai tied to the shirt in the air before he braced himself for the attack. Shikamaru got a little cut up, but nothing too bad.

Temari was about to go again when she noticed the shirt with the kunai was now floating in the air. Okay, so it was in the air but what was the point of that? She suddenly realized what it was for and barely avoid Shikamaru using the shadow from the now in the air kunai to trap her.

She had to say, it had been a smart plan, "Pretty good lazy boy. You almost had me there."

Shikamaru shrugged, "It wasn't a bad place to start. I've got a few other things in mind that I think will work better though."

Temari raised up her fan again, "Too bad you won't have time to use them."

Everyone continued to watch as the fight went on like that for what seemed like ages. Shikamaru was smarter than Temari was, but on the same token Temari had much more raw power than Shikamaru did. The two them just balanced each other out so well, they had basically gotten into a deadlock. It was clear that the goal had become to outlast each other, the question was who would run out of chakra first?

After nearly half an hour of the back and forth cat and mouse game they had been playing, Shikamaru finally made one more go for the win. Temari was getting her fan ready to make one final swing at him, when she suddenly found herself unable to move. She could see that she had been caught in his shadow possession.

She didn't understand how he'd done it, until Shikamaru said, "You've been careful to stay out of my range, but you've been so busy that you stopped paying attention to the kunai up there. Between the change in the angle of the son and it floating slightly, I was able to capture you."

Temari prepared to lose the match, but she never could have expected what she heard next, "I forfeit..."

Temari's eyes shot wide open, "What? I swear, if you're forfeiting because of me..."

Shikamaru didn't let her finish, "I'm gonna run out of chakra in like a minute or two, so there's no point in continuing to fight. Proctor, call the match."

Genma was shocked to see it end that way, but did what he had to, "Shikamaru has forfeited, Temari is the winner."

They walked back to the balcony with Temari slightly complaining about how Shikamaru forfeited. It fell on deaf ears though, as Genma called, "We'll give Temari a break in between her match with Kakashi. Would Gaara and Kina please come down to the center of the arena.

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Gaara vs Kiba is next up. Not sure when I'll be updating next, but it'll be Monday at the latest. My laptop should be fixed soon, and then it's smooth sailing once again.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53, time for Kiba vs Gaara and Kakashi vs Temari. Also I've got good news, my laptop is now officially fixed! I'll be able to update a little more frequently now, although the only days I missed before were the weekends. Oh, and does anyone know his to get a beta reader, I'd never even heard of them until I started writing fanfiction, but apparently I need one to fix some of my grammar problems. Thanks reading please review. Especially the review part because I'm just shy of getting 300!

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Kiba wasn't sure whether he was excited or terrified for this fight. Gaara was one hell of an opponent and wasn't to be trifled with. They didn't say he had an absolute defense for nothing after all. Still, he wasn't going to let a little bit of fear ruin his chance to become a chunin. You didn't home this far without having a pretty big set of balls on you.

He looked at his sensei and asked, "Any idea's on how to get past his absolute defense?"

Kurenai wished she had something to say here, "Sorry, but I'm not good with ninjutsu strategy. You'd be better off asking Jiraiya in this area."

Jiraiya was glad to hear. He'd been itching to get his ideas out, "You've got a good start with your fang over fang. A move that's basically a giant drill is almost perfect for getting through his defense. However, I'm not sure that'll be strong enough to do it. You'll need something a little stronger if you really want to get through there."

Kiba raised an eyebrow, "Any ideas on what that would be?"

Jiraiya had something he thought he might work, "Maybe if you can manage to catch him by surprise."

Kiba wasn't starting to be sorry he asked him, "And just how in the hell am I supposed to do that?"

Jiraiya rolled his eye and leaned over to whisper something in his ear. Kiba's eyes slowly got wider and he started to nod in understanding. Jiraiya asked him, "Think you can pull that off?"

Kiba felt like he actually stood a chance now. He nearly jumped out right into the arena but Mito stopped him, "Hold on, I wanted to give you a little luck before you go."

Kiba didn't understand, "What do you mean a little mph,"

Mito had already pressed her lips to his and had him speechless. After a few seconds he finally said, "Um...thanks. I'm gonna, um, go down to the arena."

Mito felt a little proud at making him speechless, "Alright then, give Gaara hell."

Kiba was about to jump down when Akamaru barked. His partner translated, "Um, Akamaru want's one too."

Mito laughed and gave him a little kiss on his nose, "Whatever you need little guy."

Kiba finally went down to the arena and found Gaara waiting for him. He seemed to be excited, "Kiba Inuzuka, I hope your ready for a fight."

Oh he was ready alright, "Never felt this ready in my life. Proctor, let's get this thing started."

Genma raised his hand to start the match, "Kiba vs Gaara in three….two...one...Begin!"

Gaara immediately sent his sand after Kiba and Akamaru, who were already putting their plan into action. Kiba got as far away from Gaara as he could manage and threw down a smoke bomb. After a few moments had could sense something coming straight for him, which turned out to be a giant spinning tornado looking thing. Raising up his sand, Gaara created a wall of sand to stop the drill. It hit hard and came close to getting through, but it just wasn't enough.

Gaara was about to launch a counterattack, but suddenly found himself sensing another attack coming at him from the other side. He raised up his hand again and made a another wall of sand, only this one wasn't nearly as fast as the first one. The fang over fang broke through and hit Gaara straight on. Granted, it didn't hit as strong as it would have if the wall wasn't there but it was still decent hit. It sent him flying into a nearby wall.

Gaara didn't stay down long though. His armor immediately starting to fill in the cracks that Kiba had made and he started to send some sand at Kiba and Akamaru. Kiba swore under his breath. He was really counting on that attack to finish him off, but looks like he wasn't going to get that lucky. He'd have to make some kind of new plan if he wanted to win.

Obito was watching the fight intently with the false Kazekage, "That was a good plan, to bad it wasn't quite just might end up being the best fight yet. You must be very impressed with your son's performance so far."

That wasn't the exactly what he was thinking at all, "To be honest, I didn't expect Gaara to get hit at all. He'll have to do better than that later on."

Obito thought he was doing just fine, "I think he's got a good chance of winning this fight. The only ones I really think could beat him is maybe Kakashi or Naruto."

The false Kazekage mumbled under his breath, "I'm not too worried about Kakashi…"

Obito couldn't quite hear him, "What was that?"

The false Kazekage chuckled, "Oh nothing. I believe one of your assistants wants your attention."

Obito turned to see that there was indeed an assistant there to speak to him, "What do you need?"

The assistant told him, "Sasuke should be here shortly, ten or twenty minutes at the most."

Obito was glad to hear it, "Alright, just tell me when he's here."

The assistant left and they went back to the fight. This was turning out to be one of the better fights of the first round. Most people felt Gaara would win, but Kiba was really starting to show that how strong he was as well. It wasn't a fight you wanted to look away from too long.

Kiba got ready and made a lung at Gaara. The jinjuriki didn't move, just used his sand to defend himself. Simply sticking to taijutsu, Kiba did his best keep Gaara on his toes. Gaara could tell Kiba was simply trying to distract him so that Akamaru could set up something, but the question was what.

Kiba went for a jab at Gaara's gut, but of course Gaara blocked it. That's when Kiba yelled out, "Akamaru, now!"

That's when Akamaru came flying towards Gaara. Gaara was growing very tired of this, as he raised up his hand to knock the dog away. However, when the sand hit Akamaru, he exploded into a flurry of kunai and various other sharpened objects. It didn't take long for him to see that the Akamaru he'd hit had been fake, tossed over by the real Akamaru with his mouth to trick Gaara into setting the trap off. His sand was unable to block all of the weapons, quite a few of them even hit his sand armor. They almost got through his armor, but he was barely able to stop them.

Gaara could see that Kiba was much smarter than he had given him credit for. He really hadn't expect a plan from an Inuzuka, who were known mostly for their brute strength. It was time to go to his best attack. Slamming his hands onto the ground, he screamed, "Sand Tsunami!"

The Inuzuka saw the massive wave of sand coming at him grabbed Akamaru to shield him. When the sand hit, Kiba was smashed into the wall, knocking him out cold. Genma raised his hand up to end the match, "Kiba is unable to continue, Gaara is the winner."

They were about to escort Kiba out of the arena, but his body was picked up by some of the sand in the arena. Gaara apparently felt the need to bring his opponent pack to the balcony. Once Kiba regain consciousness, Gaara told him, "An excellent match Kiba. I haven't a fight like that with anyone but Naruto."

Kiba didn't feel so good about his performance, "Yeah, I guess. Still not sure I showed the council enough to be promoted to chunin though."

Mito leaned down and gave him a small kiss on the cheek and a gentle hug, "Maybe I'll give you some more luck later so that you've got a better shot."

Kiba liked the sound of that, "I guess I could use some luck."

Kurotsuchi leaned over and whispered to Choji, "Are they always like this?"

Choji laughed, "Kind of, a lot more so lately though. You get used to it."

She was about to ask him something else, but the final match of the first round was called out by Genma, "Will Temari and Kakashi please come down to the center of the arena for the final match of the first round."

Kakashi jumped down to the center of the arena without even talking his sensei or friends. He was clearly pretty excited for this fight. Temari came down and joined him not long after, immediately causing him to yell, "You ready Temari, cause Kakashi's about show everyone what he can really do?"

Temari clearly wasn't enthusiastic as he was, since she was still pretty low on chakra. She replied, "I might not be at full strength, but I'm still gonna give you the fight of your life."

Kakashi was glad to hear it, "Alright than, let's do this. Proctor, start that match!"

Genma raised his hand to start the final match, "Temari vs Kakashi, in three…two...one...Begin!"

Temari raised up her fan and took the biggest swing of her life. She knew she wouldn't have much time to beat him with her chakra being low, so she was planning on finishing this as fast as she could.

Kakashi made some hand seals and put his hand to his mouth. He jumped up and launched a fireball just behind the giant gust of wind. Obito smirked at his son from the Kage's box, "Launching a fireball just at the right spot so that the wind would enhance the fire's attack. Smart Kakashi, very smart."

Temari narrowly avoided the hit and brought her fan up again, this time in a defensive position. She was going to try and get Kakashi in close range combat, as she had never seen him fight close combat for a long period of time and was hoping that might be his weak spot.

She ran at him started to use he taijutsu in the hopes of taking him out. Sadly, she soon found out how wrong she was about his close combat fighting. Making some hand seals quickly. He stuck his hands out, "Shadow Snake Hands."

Temari watched in awe as Kakashi's hands became snakes and charged after her. They wrapped around her arms and legs, allowing Kakashi to bring his foot up and give Temari a strong kick to the chest. In the state she was in, that was all it took to take Temari off her feet and let Kakashi give her quick strike to the head like he'd done with Dosu.

Genma called the match, "Temari is unable to continue, Kakashi is the winner."

Kakashi grabbed Temari and jumped back up to the balcony. Anko noticed that he seemed a little sad under his mask, "What's wrong gaki? You just made it to the second round of the finals."

Kakashi pouted slightly, "Kakashi was just hoping for a little bit of harder fight, that's all. Temari was all tired out."

Ino walked over to him, "You know, Mito gave me an idea for a consolation prize."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "What's that?'

Ino took off his mask, "You really have to ask."

Ino pressed her lips to his in a passionate kiss. Kakashi was absolutely speechless for the first time in his life. Even after Mito put his mask back on, you could still tell that he was smiling.

Kurotsuchi just had to ask, "What is with you people today? Is there something in air around here or what?"

* * *

I'll end round one on a comical note. Well that's it for now, see you all tomorrow.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54 we've got Mito vs Naruto and...the lead in to the start of the invasion! I know I didn't tell you guys about this in the last chapter, but I kind of wanted to keep it a surprise. As far as what's gonna trigger the whole thing, you'll see that later on in this chapter. Oh, and those of you who've been worried about Kakashi, that comes into play in this chapter too. Well I don't to spoil too much for you guys. Thanks for reading and please review.

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With the first round over, Naruto, Mito, Kakashi, and Gaara were the only ones still left in the finals. The crowd had absolutely loved the first round, and with everyone who was in the second they doubted they'd be disappointed. They had a ten minute break in between the matches, so the kids were all over talking to one another.

Mito wasn't glad she was gonna have to face one of her friends, "I've gotta face Naruto first, that's almost as bad as if I had to fight Hinata."

Naruto shrugged, "What did expect. Almost everyone who was left was one of your friends."

That didn't really cheer Mito up at all, "Doesn't mean I have to like it. At least it's gonna be an awesome fight. Right Naruto?"

Naruto agreed with her wholeheartedly on that, "Oh yeah, it's gonna be a great fight alright."

All of their friends couldn't even decide who to root for Hinata and Kiba anyways, who were both rooting for their boyfriend/girlfriend.

Genma called them down, "Naruto and Mito, please come down to the center of the arena."

Jiraiya wished his daughter luck as she jumped down to the arena and Naruto a little hug from Hinata before he jumped down. Mito and Naruto had already talked, so Genma got straight to the match, "Naruto vs Mito in three...two...one...Begin!"

Naruto didn't go straight to his shadow clones like he usually did, he had something else in mind for this fight. Making some quick hand seal, Naruto slammed his hand into the ground and summoned Gamakichi. The toad went into his usual greetings, "Hey Naruto, hey Mito. Woah, you guys fighting or something and what's with all these people?"

Naruto didn't have time to go into too much depth, "It's the chunin exams and I might need your help later. Stay out of sight until I need you."

Gamakichi didn't understand, "Okay, but what will you need me to do?"

Naruto smirked, "Trust me, you'll know."

The young toad didn't question it, just hopped of out of sight. Mito wasn't sure what he was up to, but she knew she wasn't going to like it. It didn't take a genius to see that she could never beat him in a straight up fight, but she trap him a situation where he'd be forced to surrender.

Naruto finally went to his trademark clones and created four of them. They jumped into some of the trees that were in the arena and Naruto ran towards Mito. Mito got into her taijutsu stance and prepared for Naruto to come. He got to her and started to fight her relentlessly. She couldn't figure out why he had made those clones if he was just going to charge straight at her, but before long she found out. The clones started to throw kunai and shuriken from the trees.

Forcing Mito to try and dodge both his punches and his clones kunai at one time was a brilliant move for Naruto. Still, Mito wasn't going down that easily. She charged her fist with chakra and slammed it into the ground. It shook and Naruto lost his balance, giving Mito the chance to smack Naruto across the arena. Granted, he wasn't down for long but it was long enough for mito finish what she had been planning. Mito took the kunai off of the ground and threw into the trees Naruto's clones were hiding in. All of them jumped out to avoid the kunai, but as soon as they did Mito took them out.

Obito was really enjoying the match up in the Kage's box, "Naruto and Mito really are fantastic shinobi. I mean did you see what Naruto did with the clones and the way Mito countered like that? All of this from genin no less."

The Tsuchikage didn't seem nearly as enthused, "I guess it's a pretty good fight. I'd expect nothing less from that butchers son."

Obito knew he was referring to his sensei,, Minato Namikaze, "It's a little unfair to call him that. He was just doing what he had to do to protect his village."

Onoki snorted and scowled, "You say that, but how can you be sure? It's not like you were there for the fight. All Leaf ninja's are the same, you can't trust any of them."

Obito ground his teeth at the accusations, "What did the we do to deserve such bitterness from you?"

Onoki just kept scowling, "I would think an Uchiha would know exactly what happened. Perhaps you can figure it out yourself, eh?"

Obito wanted to drop kick the old midget across the stadium, but simply turned back to finish watching the match. He'd figure out what Onoki was talking about later, for now he had a very interesting match to watch.

Back in the arena, Mito was busy putting her plan into motion. She made some hand seals and summoned Teimei (That's Mito's partner slug, in case you've forgotten), "Hello mistress, what do you need?"

Mito whispered something to the slug who was then placed on the ground. Naruto was already making more clones, so Mito got back into a defensive position. This time Naruto made a dozen shadow clones, all of which were heading straight for Mito. It looked like he was trying to overpower Mito. That wasn't going to be easy to fight off, but if Mito's plan went well then she wouldn't have to.

Just as the clones were about to attack Mito, they ground under them gave way they all feel inside a freshly made hole. Naruto was about to ask what happened when he noticed a small hole next to Mito's foot. It didn't take long for him to figure it out, "I get it. You had Teimei did hole with her acid and make a nice little pitfall for my clones. You took care of them, but you didn't think that'd take me out did ya?"

Mito shrugged, "I didn't know if it would or not, I just thought it sounded like a good plan. "

Naruto knew he only had one last option, "Looks like I'm gonna have to hear things up. Gamakichi, now!"

Mito knew what was coming and had just enough time to get out of the way from a large ball of orange oil coming right for her. She couldn't believe that was Naruto's big plan, "Toad oil, really? Come Naruto, I expect more out of you."

Naruto actually seemed quite happy, "Who said that was toad oil?"

Mito looked at the liquid while keeping her guard up. It looked just like toad oil, "If it's not toad oil then what is it?"

Naruto laughed, "It's just some stuff that Gamakichi dyed orange. One of my clones gave him the stuff to do it earlier. I figured that would distract you enough for this."

Mito could see that she'd been tricked and tried to figure out what Naruto was distracting her for, but it was too little too late. The ground under her feet started to shake and out of nowhere a fist came up from the ground to smack her directly under the chin. The Naruto she had been talking to poofed away just as she blacked out.

Genma called the match, "Mito is unable to continue, Naruto is the winner."

The two of them were escorted back to the balcony and when Mito was awake again she asked Naruto, "When did you switch out the one I was talking to with a clone? You got under ground when I wasn't looking too, how'd you manage that?"

Naruto started to explain, "I was actually in that bunch of clones that was charging you when the ground gave way. Basically, I was thinking that if you were too busy getting rid of the clones so that you could get to the real me, you wouldn't notice that the real me was with my clones to begin with. The Gamakichi thing I had planned the whole time in case I needed a distraction. Once I got underground, I just kinda went with the flow I guess. All I did at that point was just figure out where you were and give you a good hit."

Jiraiya smacked his forehead, "Only you would think of something like that on the fly."

They continued to talk about the fight as in the Kages box Obito saw that Sasuke had finally boy looked rather sleep deprived, probably because of whatever was worrying him so much. Obito walked over to the boy and knelt down speaking in low voice so that the other Kages couldn't hear him, "Now, Itachi tells me that you refuse to tell us what's got you acting so strange."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and swayed a little, "If I'm not gonna tell Itachi then I'm not gonna tell you."

Obito nodded, "I know that, I just don't understand why you won't tell us. If you tell us what's going on then we can protect whoever you're so worried about."

Sasuke didn't feel so confident about that. He was starting to have a hard time keeping his eyes open, "No, you can't…"

Obito wasn't sure how to reason with the boy, "Do you even know if you can trust whoever it is trying to harm this person will hold their end of the bargain?"

Sasuke frowned, "Well...no I don't…but you can't protect him even if I did tell you,"

Obito could see Sasuke was starting to spill his guts in his sleep deprived state. He grabbed his shoulder, "Why wouldn't we be able to protect him?"

Sasuke was speaking in a small voice, but Obito could hear what he said, "Because of the seal…Kak...Oh man, almost said his name"

Obito was trying to piece this together in his head, as it seemed the boy was about to say Kakashi. He thought back to some of the things Kabuto had said about seals Orochimaru used, but he didn't seem to want to tell them too much about those. It was the only Anko couldn't get out of him. There was one other person that Kabuto had lead them to that they had captured. What was her name again, the one with the red hair? Karin? Yes, Karin was her name. His mind started to drift back to some of the seals Karin had told them about.

_Flashback_

_Karin had been telling about these seals for what seemed like hours. When she got to a certain one she stopped and pointed, "This one's pretty bad. It's design to be able to kill someone when you use it. Any basic seal master could take it off, it's just a matter of finding it really._

_End Flashback_

Obito's eyes grew dark as he realized the full extent of what was going on. Orochimaru was threatening the life of his son! He did his best to control his anger as wrote a brief note and gave it to his assistant, "Give that to lord Jiraiya and tell everyone to prepare for battle on my command."

The assistant nodded and left at top speed. Obito walked back over to the false Kazekage, "The next match won't start right away. We've got repair that hole in stadium."

The false Kazekage didn't seem nervous, "Alright then, as long as the fightign starts again soon."

Obito clenched his fist, "Oh trust me, it will."

* * *

Invasion starts tomorrow, see ya then.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55, Orochimaru's about to get what's coming to him. I've been super stoked to write this fight and the entire invasion in general. Oh and I've got something really crazy planned for the next chapter. Something almost as crazy as when I killed off Kakashi...you know, the first Kakashi, not the new one. You know what I mean...I think you do anyways. As always, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Orochimaru looked around the stadium filled to the brim with people. If all of them were affected by the genjutsu, the death toll would be enormous. The dirty snake couldn't help but smile at the thought of that. All he had to do was play Kazekage for just a little while longer and he'd completely destroy the Leaf.

Obito, who was sitting next to him, struggled to keep his anger from getting the best of him. That traitor next to him not only tried to blackmail Sasuke, but used his son as a pawn and threatened to kill him. As much as he would like to skin him alive right now, he'd wait until Jiraiya had the seal of off his son.

Speaking of which, Obito could feel something slimy on his shoulder. He figured it must of been one of Jiraiya's toads which was confirmed when it whispered in his ear, "Lord Jiraiya has started the process. I will alert you as soon as he's finished. He's sending the Third and Lady Tsunade nearby for when you take on Orochimaru as well."

Obito just gave a small nod and the toad hopped away. It wouldn't be long before Orochimaru would finally get what's been coming to him for quite some time now.

* * *

Kakashi squirmed impatiently as Jiraiya started to look him over, searching for the seal Orochimaru had placed on him. This was really starting to irritate him, "Uncle Jiraiya, why won't you just let Kakashi go out and fight? What are you even looking for anyways?"

Jiraiya didn't give him a response, just kept looking. The seal was a little hard to locate, but once he did it would take him just a matter of minutes to remove it. Finally he said, "Just stay still Kakashi, I'm gonna be done before too long."

After thinking for awhile, Jiraiya remembered something about his old partner. The base of the neck was always a favorite spot of his to put seals on to. He check Kakashi's neck and sure enough, there was the seal. He put his hand over it and told Kakashi, "Just warning you, this is gonna sting quite a bit."

Kakashi didn't like the sound of that, "What do you mean it's gonna sting. What are you doing to Kaka-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

Jiraiya looked over Kakashi's neck to see that the seal was gone, "Alright Kakashi, the seal's off."

Kakashi was holding his neck, "What seal? What the hell did you do to Kakashi?"a

Jiraiya gave him the shorten version, "Orochimaru put a seal on your neck so he could blackmail Sasuke and I just took it off so that your dad could go and attack him."

That gave Kakashi more questions than answers. He was about to ask Jiraiya another question but Jiraiya stopped him, "Look, I've gotta send a toad to your dad to tell him we're done and then I've gotta go help prepare for the battle. You just go meet about with your friends and help evacuate the villager out of the arena."

Kakashi could see whatever this was it was serious. He ran off to go and tell his friends something big was about to go down.

* * *

Obito skin just kept crawling more and more as he forced to sit next Orochimaru. He wasn't sure how much longer he could wait for that damn toad. Luckily, he wouldn't have to. A small toad hopped up under his shirt and on to his shoulder, "Lord Jiraiya is done, you may attack Orochimaru as soon as you want."

Obito started to smile ear to ear and sent the toad away. He stood up and turned to the Tsuchikage, "You may want to get your granddaughter and any ninja's you've got here very far away. A doubt you want to get involved in The Leaf and Sound's little conflict."

Orochimaru couldn't believe it, "You mean…"

Obito was beyond happy to be able to drop the charade, "You really should keep a little better lid on your secrets Orochimaru."

The Tsuchikage was lost, "What the hell is going on here?"

Orochimaru had gotten up and taken off the Kazekage robes to reveal his sickly white face, "To put it simply old man, you've gotten yourself into the middle of very bad situation. But this fool has failed to take into account that I've got the Sand on my side."

Obito chuckled, "Actually, no you don't. You should also do a better job checking up on your facts. Gaara's seal was fixed years ago, his real father knew that. I'm afraid the only reason the sand is here is to back us up."

Orochimaru's eye started to twitch. That was twice he'd been tricked, "I've still got one last ace up my sleeve. Your precious son,"

Obito's eyes darkened, "Had that seal you put on him removed a few minutes ago. You made two mistakes with that part. One, assuming that Sasuke's fear would make it unnecessary to keep to close of an eye on him and two, threatening my son. Anyone who does that is going to be torn to shreds by me, including you."

Orochimaru was getting desperate, "Tsuchikage, you've finally got the chance to attack the hidden Leaf. Surely you aren't going to pass that up?"

Onoki actually laughed outright, "Don't get me wrong, I hate the Leaf. But I hate you far more. Do you know how many of our ninja's you've experimented on? Besides, even you've gotta know that attacking Leaf now would cause a war between us. I'm not pulling a stunt like that without even consulting my council. I think I'll just take my chance to kick the shit out of you."

Orochimaru was starting to see just how deep he was in. That's when he heard familiar voices behind him, "My old student. I think it's time we end this whole thing. What do you say Tsunade?"

Tsunade agreed with the Third, "Oh yeah, that sounds great."

Orochimaru was now surrounded by four people who were dead set on killing him. This was bad situation even for him. Even with his reanimation jutsu, he was gonna be lucky if he got out of this one alive.

* * *

Kakashi ran up to his friends who seemed excited to see him. Naruto asked, "Kakashi, you ready for your big fight?"

Kakashi shook his head, "Kakashi's not fighting, the entire village is."

Gaara didn't seem surprised, "I see, so it's begun. I'm guessing that they're going start evacuating the villagers?"

Kakashi informed them that Gaara was half right, "Actually, that's our job. Can someone get everybody's attention for Kakashi?"

Naruto cut in, "Hold on. What are guys talking about?"

Kakashi was silently wondering how many people would say that before the day was out, "All Kakashi knows is that there's some kind of big fight going on here and we need to get the villagers out."

Gaara had a pretty good idea of what was going on, "Once we've got a few minutes I'll tell you guys all about it."

Naruto wanted to know more right now, but knew he needed to get these people out of here right now too. He was pretty sure he had a way to get that ball rolling, "I've got something that'll get these guys attention for us."

Kakashi sounded excited, "Alright, what ya got for Kakashi?"

Naruto made his hand seals and slammed his hand on the ground. A large toad appeared that was barely able to fit on the balcony. It had the symbol for alert on his back, "**Mister Namikaze, what can I do for you?"**

Naruto told him, "I need you to get these guys attention. Think you can handle that for us?"

The toad rolled his eyes, "**Please, give me something challenging at least."**

The toads throat started to expand and he let loose the loudest croak they'd ever heard. Once everyone in the stand had turned to look at them, Kakashi yelled, "I'm afraid the rest of the chunin exams won't be continuing. If you would please follow Kakashi and his friends, we need to evacuate you from the stadium."

Everyone seemed very confused, but figured the Hokage's son would know what he was talking about. All of them stood up and started come down to where the genin were. Everything just seemed like one big mess right now, but before long all of them would understand just how serious the situation was.

* * *

Jiraiya jumped up next to Shikaku who was chosen to be the leader of the primary attack force. The man was the leafs most brilliant strategist and had been consulting with Obito on how to handle the hidden Sound since they learned about the attack. Shikaku didn't seem to nervous about it when Jiraiya jumped up, "Hey Jiraiya, how'd my son do?"

Jiraiya thought back to the fight and told him, "He did pretty damn good, but forfeited in the end."

Shikaku chuckled, "That's my boy. Just as smart as me and equally as lazy."

Jiraiya never could figure out the Nara's, "I think he actually might be even smarter and even lazier actually."

Shikaku looked out at the Leaf's army, "Maybe. You're here, so that means that it's time for the fight to start."

Jiraiya nodded, "Yeah, the shit has officially hit the fan. I've gotta go help the other's with Orochimaru, you can handle yourself here can't you."

Shikaku didn't understand why he was asking, "Of course I can, we discussed all of this office a week ago. You'd alert me when the battle started and head off to help with Orochimaru."

Jiraiya's eye twitched at his sarcasm, "I was just asking. Good luck."

Shikaku jumped off to go inform his forces, "Thanks, you too."

* * *

The Sound ninjas sat patiently as they waited for Kabuto to arrive. They had been told to meet Kabuto here over a month ago when the plan was first devised, but he was now twenty minutes late. He'd better here soon or they'd just have to start without him.

One of them groaned, "Where the fuck is he? I want fight some Leaf pricks already."

A new voice started come from behind him, "Be careful what you wish for."

The one who had been groaning because he couldn't fight suddenly found himself groaning for a different reason. After pulling the blade out of his chest, the Leaf ninja threw his body to the side and a dozen other ninja's jumped down to back him up.

One of the Sound ninjas screamed, "You go and alert the others. The Leaf knows we're coming and the battle has begun!"

The Sound ninja jumped away and the others turned to meet the Leaf ninjas. The battle had indeed begun.

* * *

Orochimaru found himself backing up slowly. He jumped on to the roof that was near the Kage box, "You haven't' beaten me just yet, I've still got one more ace up my sleeve."

The others jumped on to the roof as well and before the long the toad sage had jumped up to join them, "Hey guys, didn't start the party without me did you?"

Orochimaru made some hand seals and slammed his hand onto the ground, "Don't worry Jiraiya, we've only just begun."

Three coffins began to rise from the ground with the symbols for First, Second, and Fourth on them. Everyone but Onoki knew what was in those coffins, and when he saw what was inside of them he wasn't going to be happy.

* * *

The epic battle will begin tomorrow. I'll see you all then.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56, time for one of the most epic fights I've ever written! Orochimaru and his puppets vs everybody else who's on the roof. Also, I finally get to show you guys that I know Minato can't properly be revived with the whole reaper death seal thing. Not to mention handling Naruto and his friends evacuating the villagers and the rest of the ninjas fighting off the hidden Sound guys. I've got plenty of stuff to keep me busy for the next chapter or two, and it's gonna be freaking awesome. Enough talking! As always, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Orochimaru was finally starting to feel like he had the upper hand. With three of the past Hokages and himself, even the group he was fighting would be shaking in their boots. The coffins began to open and and three people stepped out.

The tall one with dark brown hair was the first to speak and he had several questions, "What on earth are we doing back here? Tsunade-chan, is that you? Brother, is that actually Hiruzen standing over there? My word, and Onoki from the hidden Rock too. If it is them, they looks rather old. Who's this standing next to us?"

Orochimaru chuckled, "I'm afraid that we don't have any time to answer your questions. I need your help handling these little pests at the moment. If you would be so kind to be rid of them First, Second, and Fourth Hokages."

The Second Hokage looked at the blonde man standing next to him, "Fourth, then you're Hiruzen's replacement?"

Minato looked around then nodded, "Um, yeah I am. Obito, are you wearing Kage robes? Did you take over after I died?"

Obito was happy to be talking to his old sensei, even under the circumstances, "Yes, the first Uchiha ever to be named Hokage, and also one of the last remaining Uchihas."

The First looked surprised at that, "What happened to the Uchihas, and what of the Senju as well?"

Obito didn't like having to answer that, "I'm afraid the Uchiha's destroyed themselves and only Granddaughter and great Granddaughter remain at his point."

The first frowned deeply, "I see. I'm sad to hear that on both accounts."

The Fourth had one last question, "What about Naruto? How is he?"

Obito smiled at the mention of the blonde knucklehead, "He's doing well sensei. We've given him the best life that we possibly could. Not to mention he's one of the most talent ninja's of his generation."

Orochimaru was getting angry, "Enough talking, kill those idiots already!"

The First and Second got into a fighting position, but the Fourth didn't. Orochimaru scowled at him, "What the hell are you doing? Get into a fighting position with the others!"

Minato rolled his eyes and walked over to stand with Obito and the others, "You really should test your jutsus a little better before you use them."

Orochimaru didn't understand, "How are you fighting it? You're supposed to be completely under my control."

Minato was loving how confused Orochimaru looked, "I died because of the reaper death seal. That makes me immune to jutsus like this. The only reason I'm here is because those who run the afterlife don't like you trying to become an immortal. I'm not fighting with you, I'm fighting against you."

Orochimaru pull his hair out and scream. Nothing was going right for him today, "I've still got the the First and Second Hokages, I'm still in this fight!"

Jiraiya cracked his knuckles, "That may be true, but Kabuto and Karin told us everything about your little seal. We've already got a seal designed to counter yours. All we have to do is immobilize them to the point that we can put it on and you're screwed."

Orochimaru just couldn't' believe how bad his situation had gotten, "We'll just see if you can get your precious little see on."

Jiraiya got ready to fight, "Yes we will."

* * *

Naruto and the others were doing their best to keep all of the villagers out of the fighting. They still weren't sure what was going on, but they could see the Leaf ninjas and some Sand ninjas fighting against the Sound ninjas. So far, they were about halfway to the gate and moving pretty slowly. Trying to keep this many people moving moving in the same direction, many of which were small children, wasn't an easy task.

They heard some new voices calling from above them, "Cut them off at the gate! Lord Orochimaru wanted as many Leaf villagers to be killed as we could manage!"

Kakashi didn't know who this Orochimaru person was, but he was really one sick son of bitch. It was gonna take some fast thinking if Kakashi wanted to get everybody out of here safe. He called over, "Gaara, would you be able to use your sand to give us some cover from above?"

Gaara nodded and raised his hands, bringing a massive roof of Sand above their heads. Shikamaru was the next one with an idea, "Naruto, make as many clones as you can and send them to the gate so that you can clear the way. The rest of you surround everyone and keep moving."

Kakashi looked around and saw that some Sound ninjas were starting to come for them. Temari swung her fan and sent as big of a wind attack as she could manage at them while Sakura put some in genjutsu so that Kiba could could hit them with his fang over fang.

More voice could be heard coming from nearby. It sounded female, "What the fuck do you mean Lord Orochimaru doesn't want us to put the damn barrier up anymore? Why the hell not?"

Another voice responded, "Apparently he thinks that trapping himself in a barrier with those guys would be more risk than it's worth. He wants us to cause as much damage to the Leaf as possible in the meantime."

The other voice called back, "Fuck yeah! That's the kinda shit I'm talking about!"

A new voice cut in, "Tayuya, you really shouldn't,"

The woman, apparently named Tayuya, shot back, "No time for your bullshit fatty! I've got people to fuck up and I see a big old crowd over there just calling my name."

Kakashi was really starting to get a bad feeling about this.

* * *

Orochimaru watched at the First and Second Hokages fought against two of the sannin and four Kages. They had split up fought them three on one. Minato, Obito, and Onoki had taken on the second Hokage while Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and Tsunade took on the first Hokage. That gave them one sealer for each group. Jiraiya had made the seals almost a month in advance and he knew Minato would be more than able to perform it if he just gave him the scroll to use.

The First Hokage slammed his hands into the roof and roots began sprout out and charge out at the three of them, (Never did understand how he could do that when he's on a root, but I'll just go with it.) Hiruzen jumped back and made some hand seals. He put his hands to his mouth, "Fire style: Dragon Flame Bomb!"

A ball of fire hit the root and began to burn them while Jiraiya began to make a Rasengan in his hand. He charged at the First who once again slammed his hands on the ground. More roots came out of the ground and surround him before the Rasengan could hit. When it struck the roots, Jiraiya was sent flying back because the force of the Rasengan more or less reflected right back onto him much like it had with Kurotsuchi's Flaming Ash Bomb.

Tsunade already had a counter attack though, giving a fully charged Heavenly Kick of Pain to the dome of roots. The roots broke, leaving to First exposed long enough Jiraiya to bounce back with a second attack. He had filled his cheeks with toad oil and spit it on to the the First. Hiruzen had seen what he was doing and prepared a second Dragon Flame Bomb. When the two attacks combined it caused a massive explosion which the First took the full blow of it. He flew across the roof and Tsunade and Hiruzen pinned him down.

Jiraiya ran over to put the seal on him, "Um Tsunade-hime, wasn't your grandad stronger than this?"

Tsunade knew that he was, "Yeah, but Orochimaru doesn't fully understand his power so he can't use it to its full extent."

Jiraiya was thanked his lucky stars for that as he put on the seal.

On the other side of the roof, it was clear that one Kage couldn't beat three. The Second may have been a master of water based jutsu, but since he couldn't even manage to hit Minato or Obito and the two of them kept assisting Onoki, that didn't really seem to matter. He already been hit by one of Minato's Rasengans and Onoki had gotten him with a couple of his rock bullets. All in all, the Second Hokage had seen better fights.

Obito figured it was time to be done and over with this fight. He switched to his eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and focus on the Second's legs. The Kaumi vortex busy both of them off. Leaving him pretty much immobilized. Minato ran over to put the seal on him as quickly as possible as he saw that the legs had already started to rebuild themselves.

Orochimaru thought he might be ready to pass out. He'd never had a fight go this badly before. He turned to run away, but Obito was already behind him. The young Hokage smiled darkly, "I'm afraid that you won't be going anywhere."

Orochimaru really wasn't sure how this going to go, but he had a feeling he wasn't going to like the result. Obito used his Amaterasu on on Orochimaru, causing him to scream in pain. He was done with all of this, "I might not be able to have Sasuke's body, but I'll do whatever I can to get those eyes."

They all watched in horror as Orochimaru started to shed his skin with some kind of monster taking his place. It was some kind of giant snake made up of smaller white snakes ending in Orochimaru's face. A truly horrendous sight to be sure. The monster charged at Obito, only to go straight through him. Obito was was done playing games with this freak. He focused on the middle of the snake's body and started with Kaumi. Before the long, the vortex started to swallow it up with the horrible creature hissing, "I cannot be defeated, I am the immortal Orochimaru!"

Obito simply said darkly, "Not anymore."

A crashing sound was heard and only a few of the white snakes remained. Obito used the Amaterasu to take of them. Tsunade walked up and looked over the scene, "Is he...is he really dead?"

Jiraiya came up and put his arms around her, "I can't feel his chakra anymore, so I think so."

Obito confirmed it, "Only traces of his chakra are left, not even he could hide his death from me," he then turned to his sensei, "How much longer do you have."

Minato suddenly realized that with Orochimaru gone he wouldn't be around much longer, "I'm not sure. If I had to guess I'd about a half an hour."

Obito had an idea, "In that case, I think's time you properly met your son."

Minato's eyes lit up, "Where is he?"

Jiraiya chimed in, "They're leading the villagers to safety. I can see the group from here, so we can't get you there in just a few minutes."

Minato didn't even wait, just started running.

* * *

The group of genin were fighting like hell to try and keep the villagers safe, but these Sound Four people weren't making it easy. That one named Sukon had made a massive metal wall door at the gate to keep them from leaving, and the others were all busy sending all different kinds of attacks at the villagers. It was taking everything the genin had just to keep them from being killed. Between the Jirobo guy throwing rocks at them, the Kidomaru guy shooting the webs and arrow things at them, and Tayuya's genjutsu, things weren't going great.

Luckily for them, help had arrived. Obito landed in front of all of them, "Stop! Orochimaru is dead! All of you leave in peace and we won't have to kill you!"

All of sudden the fighting stopped. None of the Sound ninjas could believe it. All of them looked to the Sound Four for guidance. Sakon could see they were beaten, so he yelled, "You've won for now, but the hidden Sound shall return and avenge lord Orochimaru! Everyone, retreat!"

The sound ninjas start to fall back. Obito was glad to see it too, as it may have cost them more lives if they had to keep fighting. Once they were gone, Obito turned to Naruto, "I believe there's someone here who would like to meet you and he doesn't have very long to stay here either."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Who's that?"

Minato walked out and looked his son up down, "Wow, you've gotten so big."

Naruto couldn't believe it, "...Dad…"

* * *

Sorry, the reunion won't be until tomorrow. I told it would be crazy.


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57, time for a little reunion. The idea of Minato and Naruto being able to have even a little bit of time to talk always seemed really interesting to me, so I'm glad I've finally got a chance to write something like it. Also, and this pretty much even more exciting for me, with Itachi gone I'll be adding a new person to the Akatsuki. One of my very design too. I'm going to create a kunoichi from the hidden Cloud since that's the only major village without a member of the Akatsuki and they have very few women in their. I'm a guy and even find the lack of women in that organization kind of strange. Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Naruto just stared blankly as he attempted to comprehend what he was seeing. Most of the other people around them were too. It wasn't every day one of the strongest shinobi in the world came back from the dead, "Dad...but how? You died sealing the Kyuubi inside of me."

Minato frowned at the mention of that, but was glad to see his son as well, "I've only got about 25 minutes left, so I'll let Obito explain what happened later. First of all, I'm sorry for putting that burden on you and then not being there for you to help you deal with it."

Naruto didn't really care about that, "You did what you had to do and don't blame you for even a second. I've had a really great life so far, with lots of friends and great family."

Minato felt relieved to hear that from Naruto, "I'm glad you feel that way and I know your mother would be too. I don't know how much you know about her, but she was heartbroken to leave you behind."

Naruto nodded, "She was an Uzumaki right?"

Minato smiled as he remembered her, "Yeah, she had the most beautiful red hair you've ever seen. She was warm, kind, smart, beautiful...I know you would have loved her."

Naruto was starting to fight back tears, "Yeah, I'm sure I would have. Do you...do you want to meet my friends?"

Minato thought that sounded great, "Yes, I'd love to."

Lucky for them, most of them were already right behind him. Kakashi was eager and ran up first, "Hi, I'm Kakashi and I'm Naruto's friend!"

Minato looked him over, "You've gotten a lot bigger since I last saw you. When you and Mito weren't even a month old I used to hold you guys in my arms."

Kakashi couldn't believe it and Mito ran up to him, "Really, you used to hold me?"

Minato couldn't believe how much bigger she'd gotten as well, "Oh yeah, all the time. You only really liked to be held by your mom though."

Naruto got Hinata next, "This is my girlfriend, Hinata-chan."

Hinata couldn't believe that she was being introduced to Fourth Hokage. She had to fight to keep from going back into her stutter, "It's an honor to meet you sir."

Minato shook her hand, "The honor is all mine. I'm glad to see Naruto's got himself a pretty girlfriend to keep him in line. Just do what Kushina used to do with me and smack him over the head if starts acting up."

Hinata laughed at his casualness, "Thank you sir, I will."

Naruto brought him over to Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, "This Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji. They're the new Ino-Shika-Cho formation."

Minato looked at all of them and laughed, "It wasn't for Ino being a girl, I'd say you guys almost looked just like the one from my generation."

For the first time in her life, Ino was speechless. What the hell were you supposed to say to the freaking Fourth Hokage, "Um...thanks…"

Shikamaru was even lazy in his presence, "Troublesome, but it's kind of cool I guess."

Choji said something, but Minato couldn't hear it with him crunching on his chips. Kiba ran up to him next, "I'm Kiba Inuzuka. Didn't you used to be on a team with my mom?"

Minato could see he was just as enthusiastic as his mother, "Yup, her and Hiashi. Is that you're dad, Hinata?"

Hinata jumped a little, then nodded. They continued on like that for while, Naruto introducing all of his friends. Minato was very glad to see that he had so many.

After everyone was introduced, they spent the rest of the time telling stories. Naruto told some about his childhood and Minato told some about his days as the Hokage. He told Naruto as much as he could about his mother. It was wonderful for the both of them to finally get to spend some time with one another. However, all good things must come to an end.

After about 25 minutes, Minato started to feel his chakra fading away. His body started to deteriorate like paper. Naruto was heartbroken at the thought of him leaving, "No, you just got here! You can't leave yet!"

Minato gave his son one last hug, "I'm sorry Naruto, but it's not up to me. If I could stay longer, I would."

Naruto held on to his father tightly, but it didn't make any difference. Slowly but surely, his body began deteriorate. His father was walked over and put his hand on his shoulder, "It's okay Naruto, at least you finally got to see him."

Naruto turned to his uncle buried his head into his chest, "Why couldn't he just stay? It's not fair."

Obito hubbed his nephew, "Life never has been fair Naruto, I learned that when I was about your age. Sometimes we've just got to suck it up and deal with the pain. Sensei was there to help me deal with mine, now let your family help you deal with yours."

Naruto pulled his head up and wiped his eyes, "I'm okay…it was just amazing to actually my dad."

Obito could understand that. He didn't have any clue what he would do if he were to see one of his parents again. After giving the boy a gentle smile, he told him, "Your Aunt Rin is at the house watching over Sasuke at the moment. You should go and see her for a while. I've got bussenius to attend to. I hope you feel a little better when I get back."

Naruto was glad that even if he didn't have his mother or father, he still had a great family. He ran off to go meet Rin while Obito gave a deep sigh. The poor man had a lot of cleaning up to do with all of this madness finally over.

* * *

Onoki sat in the Hokages office looking around at the various heirlooms, portraits, and other important Leaf objects scattered around the room. It was strange to be in this office at all to be quite honest. Not as strange as seeing the past Hokages, granted, but still strange.

Obito walked into the office and saw Onoki looking over the portraits, "Quite the fight we just had with them, wasn't it?"

Onoki had to agree, "With that many Kages involved, that's about what I would expect. I believe we've got a few things that we need to clear up."

Obito walked over and sat behind his desk, "Yes, we do. First off, about the sound invasion,"

Onoki cut him off in anger, "You should have told me! I brought my granddaughter here for pete sake!"

Obito didn't seem to feel bad about it, "Can you honestly tell me that your council wouldn't have considered joining Orochimaru in attacking the Leaf?"

Onoki opened his mouth to retort, but quickly closed it. He said in a quiet voice, "No, I can't."

Obito was impressed that he was actually be honest with himself, "Second, we'd like to thank you for your assistance in kill Orochimaru. You didn't have to help us, but you still stayed and fought with us. We are very grateful for that."

Onoki waved him off, "Ah, I've wanted a piece of that snake for year. Who hasn't? You don't really need to thank me."

Obito didn't think so, "Still, we can't thank you enough for that. Finally, I've got to know one things. What went down between the Rock and the Leaf that caused all of this hostility between us?"

Onoki's mode turned extremely sour, "That is not something I wish to speak about."

Obito was getting very tired of the answer, "Onoki, you're the only person left that I know of who can tell us what really happened. I need to understand what on earth could bring two countries to constant brink of war."

Onoki eyed the Hokage skeptically, "...You really don't know, do you?"

Obito could see he was finally getting somewhere, "No, I don't. So what was it then, what happened?"

Onoki figured he'd hidden this long enough, "Alright, you're gonna wanna sit back for this. It's a rather long story."

Obito leaned back as Onoki began to speak, "During the time of the First Kages, the Leaf was attempting to maintain peace by making allies with every village it could manage to. Naturally, the hidden Rock was one of them. The First Hokage along with Madara Uchiha came to our village with a peace treaty, which were seriously considering. With the two strongest ninjas in the world at the time in the hidden Leaf, we didn't want to make enemies out of them. Madara Uchiha was originally one of the biggest supporters so the idea of making friends with your enemies. However, he soon started to go insane. Some say it was constantly being involved in some kind of war, others say he was angry that he wasn't made Hokage, I've even heard that it was the Sharingan that made him go crazy. One thing is widely known though, Madara Uchiha went bat shit crazy."

Obito knew all of that except for the part about the peace treaty with the Leaf. He kept listening as Onoki continued, "When Madara came to the Rock to give us the final draft of the treaty, something went horribly wrong. He betrayed us and killed hundreds of our ninjas. While I have no idea what happened once he got back to the Leaf, I do know what happened when I got back and told the council what Madara had done. We declared war on the Leaf that night, and the rest is history."

Obito was in shock. He had no idea that it was Madara who had started their problems with the Rock all those years ago. Looking at Onoki, Obito started to speak, "While I can't apologize enough for what my ancestor did, you must realize that it was something that happened over 50 years ago. Isn't there anyway we could move past this and try to put some kind of peace treaty on the back on the table?"

Onoki laughed at that, "As much as I'd like that, my council would never go for it. I don't think yours would either."

Obito knew that was true, "There must be something that we could do to convince them, something economic maybe?"

Onoki scratched his chin, "I don't think so, we're both pretty doing pretty well on that front. Sorry kid, but I just don't think there's anything we can do that would result in peace between the two of our nations."

Obito wasn't sure what to do, "So we're just supposed to keep going on like this until some kind of threat comes along that's big enough for us be forced to team up against and hope that we can keep from going at each others throat when it's all over?"

Onoki shrugged, "More or less, yeah. I'll try and butter them up to the idea as best I can, but I just don't see it happening."

Obito stood up and escorted him out, "I see. Too bad, the idea of finally having some peace between our two nations is something I just don't want to give up on."

Onoki opened the door and headed to go find his granddaughter, "Then don't. The council back home is getting old and were about to get a new one and from what I've seen so is the hidden Leaf. We just might be able to set it up so that when we have to step down the ones who take our place can finally get some freaking peace."

Obito was starting to think he may have misjudged the man. He watched the Tsuchikage float away and went back to his desk. He had a meeting with the council about deciding who was going to get promoted in an hour so he had a lot of thinking to do.

* * *

See you all tomorrow when I tell you the promotions and you learn more about the new member of the Akatsuki. See ya then!


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58, let's see who's gonna make chunin. I've been debating in my head who all I've wanted to make chunin and it's been one of the hardest things I've had to try and figure out so far when writing this fanfic, and I've finally came up with the only solution that I was able to make myself write. Also, I get to do something that I've always wanted to do in this chapter. It's been so cool actually adding a new character to the Akatsuki, it might even be my favorite OC character I've written so far...who am I kidding, that's always gonna be Kakashi. Last but not least, as a little tesser for you guys, I've got something major coming in chapter 61. Someone important is going to be dying. That's all for now, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Two figures in black cloaks covered in red clouds were walking to hidden Leaf village. They were each wearing a large straw hat to cover their faces, as they didn't want to be recognized. Both were wanted with a high bounty on their head after all, even if there wasn't many people who could actually manage to kill them.

One of the them was a woman with dark skin and black hair. Her eyes were a deep green and she full lips that curved into a seductive smile. All in all, she was a beautiful woman. She wore a Cloud headband with a slash through it and a simple mesh suit underneath it. Turning to her partner, she asked, "We're not to far from this place, are we Kisame?"

Kisame, a blue skinned man with a large sword strapped to his back, responded, "Yeah it's not to far from her. You need to calm yourself down Teneki, it's not like we're on a deadline or anything."

The woman now identified as Teneki responded, "Yeah, but it's been almost two weeks since I've had a bath in something other than a freezing cold river."

Kisame joked, "Aw, but then I don't get watch see in your full glory."

Teneki shrugged, "I don't really care if you watch me, I just want some warm freaking water that's all."

Kisame was a little sad she didn't even seem offended by this joke, "It's no fun if you don't even react."

Teneki decided to throw him a bone a joke back, "I don't think women react to very much of what you do, especially in bed."

Kisame started roar with laughter, "Now that's more like it. Oh, and for the record, I'd rock your world."

Teneki rolled her eyes, "Please, I'd have you begging for more if I even gave you a little taste of what I could do."

Kisame and Teneki continued to argue about who would rock whose world for the next half an hour. Those two worked scraily well together.

* * *

Obito wanted to scream as he listened to council repeat itself over and over again. One of the council members repeated for the what must have been the third time, "On any average year,"

Obito couldn't bare to hear him say it again, "Yes, you've said that already. On any average year, anyone of these genin would be promoted as they all gave excellent performances. However, six genin would be the second most we've ever promoted when we weren't at war. We need more trackers, so Kiba seems like a logical choice for promotion. Shikamaru showed an extremely high amount of intelligence and would be great for leading missions, so he seems logical for promotion. Mito is an excellent healer and showed great skill as combat and it seems like we're always short on healers. Hinata is clan heir and might be able to get rid of the cage bird seal, which has been the sore spot of several clans around here for a long time for a long time. Kakashi and Naruto showed brilliance on pretty much every level and it would be almost a crime if we didn't promote them. So that leaves us with the question, what do we do? Do we promote all of them or force ourselves to cut some? The only thing I know for sure is, repeating ourselves over and again won't get us anywhere."

The council hated to admit he was right, but the really did need to come to a decision. None of them could decided whether or not to cut some of them or promote all of them. One of them asked, "I'm not sure what would be so bad if we promoted all three of them. They all gave chinin worthy performances, so I say promote them."

Obito more or less agreed with him, "Exactly. It's not like we can have too many chunin is it?"

Danzo wasn't so sure, "That may set a bad example, make it seem like all you have to do is get to the finals to be promoted."

Obito disagreed, "If they hadn't all done fantastic, I would agree with you. The simple fact of the matter is, they all did very well. Let's put it to a vote. Who all thinks that we should promote each of them?" Eight people raised their hands, "And who all thinks we should cut some of them?" Three people raised their hands, "That's a ¾ majority. Looks like we're passing all of them."

Most everyone in the room looked pleased. Six brand new chunins coming up was something to be very happy about after all. One council member asked, "How will we readjust the teams?"

Obito didn't see how it was complicated, "Move Sasuke to Team 8 and move Sai to team 10, easy."

The same council member asked, "But what about the Ino-Shika-Cho formation?"

Obito wanted to smack his head on the desk, "Shikamaru's just gonna be a chunin. We can still have him work primarily with Team 10 and teach Sai on the side. We'll probably keep team 11 together as well because they work well with one another and we'll have Kiba and Hinata work with their clans." The council member was about to ask another question, but Obito cut him off, "Look, we're done talking about this. Just get everyone in here so we can inform them of the changes were making to the teams."

A couple of the assistants left to go and find everyone. This was gonna be one hell of big day for the Leaf.

* * *

The Akatsuki teammates had been traveling for what seemed like forever, and Tenkei was just about ready to snap. She didn't understand how Kisame could just sleep on the ground for days on end, work up this sweat walking everywhere, take bath in a dirty river, and then still not begging to a nice hot spring. It really baffled her.

Tenkei looked up to see a large gate with the hidden Leaf''s symbol on it, "Finally, we made it."

Kisame had to keep from rolling his eyes, "Honestly, you're a member of the most dangerous organization in the world and you can't even go a little while without a bath? That's just sad. No wonder we don't have many women in the Akatsuki."

Tenkei defend herself, "First off, that's an extremely sexist and just all around asshole thing to say."

Kisame didn't argue, "And…"

Tenkei could see she wasn't going to get anywhere on that front so she moved on, "And two, everyone had that one thing they need to have to keep themselves in a good mood. For me it's a hot bath, for you it's killing people in a very violent manner. Don't judge me and I won't judge you, deal?"

Kisame guessed he could live with that, "Alright, that's fair enough I guess. By the way, why did you join the Akatsuki in the first place?"

Tenkei really didn't want, "Sorry fishcake, but that's a story for another day."

Kisame gave a mock pout, "Fine, but don't call me fishcake. I hate that more than anything."

Tenkei smirked, "Whatever you say, sharkboy."

Before Kisame could scream at her, she'd already jumped up into the trees so that she could sneak into the Leaf. Kisame mumbled to himself, "I don't know if I wanna fuck her or kill her…"

* * *

Obito looked over the Rookie Twelve with a great amount pride. It was amazing to think that half of them would be promoted in just a few minutes. Anko walked over and asked him, "I'm gonna have a genin team when this is all said and done?"

Obito chuckled, "Maybe you will and maybe you won't. You'll just have to wait and see like everybody else."

Anko walked back over to her team grumbling while Obito stood up to address everyone, "Attention people, we're ready to announce the changes to your genin teams. If you'll just take a seat then we'll get started."

Everyone sat down and Anko yelled, "Don't keep us waiting. Who passed?

Obito sighed, "I'm supposed to tell you guys how excellent all of you did and to thank you for your help during the battle with the hidden sound."

Anko wasn't having it, "We don't care about any of that, just tell us who passed already!"

Obito could see that waiting was going to risking his health, "Alright then, bring out vests."

One of the assistants came out carrying six vests. Asuma almost dropped his cigarette, "Holy shit...I'm counting those right?"

Obito gave a smile and nodded, "Yup, all six of them passed. We considered cutting some, but at the end of the day they all showed they had what it takes to be a chunin. If the six finalist will come up here, we can start giving them out."

Kakashi didn't hesitate, "Kakashi calls dibs on going first."

Obito grabbed one of the vests and handed it to his son, "I'm very proud of you Kakashi. You did absolutely fantastic in the exams and showed a great amount of leadership during the fight. Congradulations."

Kakashi was clearly grinning under his mask when he grabbed the vest and ran back to his friends. Obito got another one of the vests and Naruto came up next, "Naruto, I don't think you possibly could have done any better in these exams. You showed intelligence, strength, and bravery that we couldn't even begin to fathom. Nice job."

Naruto thanked him and walked back with his friends. Obito motioned for Mito to come up, "Mito, you're one of the greatest medical prodiges this village has ever seen. You've got the strength of your mother and brain of your father. You did excellent."

Mito beamed at the praise and looked over her new vest and see went back with her friends. Ino shoved Shikamaru up there so that he could go next, "Shikamaru, the amount of strategic brilliance you showed during the chunin exam rivaled that of even your father and during the battle you showed that you can stop be lazy in less than a second if the situation requires you to. You've really earned this."

Shikamaru muttered something to himself and went back to his chair so he could get back to his nap. Kiba came up next with Akamaru barking happily, "Kiba, you showed something that few Inuzuka's do in your battle with Gaara. You showed that you know when to use strategy over strength. That's more than enough to earn you your chunin vest."

Kiba took his vest and raised it over his head triumphantly. Hinata went up last, "Hinata, your performance during the chunin exams showed you just how far you've come over the past few years. All of your self doubt was gone and you showed just how strong you really are. You've gotten yourself yourself a chunin vest and one step closer to becoming clan head."

Obito finished off by telling all of them all of the changes that would be made to even out the teams. Everyone seemed relatively pleased. Sadly that happiness wouldn't stay throughout the day.

* * *

Kisame looked around the various training grounds with a sinister smile on his face, "This were the kid trains. If we stick around here for awhile, he's bound to turn up."

Teneki was just as happy as he was, "Great, I'm all bathed up and then I get a good fight. This is gonna be a great day."

* * *

That's all for now. see ya tomorrow.


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59, time for a little fight with the Akatsuki. In this one, we're gonna find out what powers Teneki has that makes her strong enough to join the Akatsuki. I gotta say, after having to write up my own OC with my own justus and a personality I had to create, I have a lot more respect for the guys who write manga like Naruto or comic books or really anything like this. I'm a writer myself, and I'm not just talking about my fanfics I've got my own original stuff, and I couldn't believe how much creativity it took to write powers for somebody that would work in this situation. Well, thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

Naruto and the rookie twelve plus Fu stood with Gaara and his siblings to see them off. They had just gotten back from getting their chunin vests and going to their house to grab a few things. Now they were supposed to go to the training grounds after they got done saying goodbye to their friends.

Kankuro was busy Tenten at the moment, "I'm not sure when the next time I'm gonna be able to see you is. With my dad dead and you guys trying to clean up after everything with those Sound assholes, we're both gonna be pretty busy."

Tenten didn't like being away from Kankuro for so long, but knew that is was out of their control. She leaned in a whispered in his ear, "Just remember that those girls back at your village don't know that little trick I do with my tongue when we kiss."

Kankuro shivered. He loved it when she got like this, "Oh believe babe, I could never forget that."

The two began to kiss and most of the group turned away to give them some privacy. Shikamaru looked at Temari, "Aren't you afraid I might cheat on you?"

Temari laughed, "Please, you're too lazy to cheat."

Shikamaru wasn't sure if he should be offended by that statement, but when Temari said something he learned not to argue with it. He gave her a quick kiss goodbye and kept his mouth shut.

Sakura was over saying goodbye to Gaara, "It was nice to see you Gaara-kun. Good of luck with everything in the Sand."

Gaara found himself blushing as he said, "You know, when Mito and Ino wanted to wish Kiba and Kakashi luck they would...well um...they would…"

Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck, "Gaara?"

Gaara started blushing heavier, "Yes?"

She leaned in close to the boy, "Shut up."

Capturing his lips in a kiss, Sakura did indeed wish the young boy luck. So much luck in fact that Gaara was having a little trouble keeping his senses. Sakura pulled away and Gaara said, "Um...thank you. We should go. It was great seeing all of you."

They left and Naruto started running to the training ground, "Bet you guys I get there first!"

Every shook their heads and chased after him. They weren't just gonna let him win without a fight after all. Sasuke was running the fastest of all. He had to catch up with his cousin and rival. Sasuke and Kakashi had a nice reunion when Kakashi and the others had gotten to the house after getting their vests.

_Flashback_

_As soon as he opened the door, Kakashi found Sasuke running up to him. He'd wanted to go talk to Sasuke as soon as he'd gotten up, but between his chakra being all messed up from the stress and just having woken up after sleep deprivation, Rin was going to let him. Sasuke had been forced to wait until Kakashi had gotten back, "Kakashi, thank god you're okay. Look, I know I should have told someone about the seal. I was just so scared and,"_

_Kakashi raised up his hand to stop him from talking, "Sasuke, Kakashi isn't mad at you. Everything worked out okay and you didn't end up leaving with Orochimaru. It's all okay now."_

_Sasuke gave a sigh of relief, "Sasuke's glad to hear."_

_Kakashi and Sasuke laughed for a while and gave each other a hug. It was good to have the two of them back together._

_End Flashback_

* * *

Kisame was really starting to get bored. He and Teneki had been waiting at this training ground for what seemed like hours and they hadn't seen anyone even walk by. Teneki groaned, "Where the hell is this kid? I wanna get this thing done already."

Kisame had to admit, thats how he was feeling as well, "It's not like we've really got any control over what time he shows up. All we can do right now is wait for the little pain the ass."

Teneki was about to start complaining again, but she suddenly turned and started to look out at the training ground, "We've got someone coming, and if it's not a tailed beast I'm sensei than this guy is one bad motherfucker. Even I didn't expect them to have this much chakra. It's almost like there's two of them."

Kisame always forget Teneki was a sensory ninja, "Alright. Just stay calm and wait for them to come to us. We don't want to scare them off."

Teneki raised an eyebrow, "We're hunting a freaking demoned, not a deer. I don't think we've got to be too nervous about scaring him away."

Kisame was really starting to lean towards killing her, "Fine, we'll go now then. Just don't let him escape."

Teneki got a dark smile on his face, "Oh, I there's no way in hell I'm letting him escape."

* * *

Naruto got to the training ground short of breath. He looked back to see that his friends weren't too far behind him, but he still won. Before he could start cracking jokes about it, he heard a womans voice, "Hey foxy-boy! We gotta have a little chat with you!"

Naruto didn't know who said that, but he wasn't particularly happy about being called 'foxy-boy'. He turned and yelled, "Hey, I'm not the Kyuubi I'm just his container. Who are you anyways? Who's that blue guy and what's with those cloaks too?"

The woman rolled her eyes, "Names Teneki and the fishcake here next to me is named Kisame. We need you come with us. It's extremely important, so even you're coming even if we gotta drag ya."

She sensed another large amount of chakra there, and looked over at the Fu when she figured out she was the source, "You with the green hair, who are you?"

Fu wasn't sure she wanted to answer, "How's that any of your business?"

Kisame asked her, "You wouldn't happen to Fu of the hidden Waterfall, would you?"

When Kisame asked her she went wided eyed. Kisame took that as a yes, which explained why Teneki thought she sensed too much chakra. He had no idea why she was in the hidden Leaf, but that didn't really matter at this point. Teneki called over, "So the seven tails is here to huh? Well we're going to need her to come along too. Like I said, it's very important."

Naruto didn't like the looks of these guys, "Why is it so important? How come you didn't talk to the Hokage about this?"

Kisame tried to be a little more subtle, "We're part of a group that's trying to bring peace to the world and we need your guy's help right now."

Kakashi didn't like this, "Wait a minute...Kakashi knows who you are! He saw you in his dad's big bingo book. You're S-ranked missing-nins. There's no way Kakashi's letting his friends go with you!"

Sasuke looked over at Kakashi, "Why were you reading Uncle Obito's bingo book?"

Obito shrugged, "It was there and Kakashi was bored. Kakashi just reads the S-ranks one because they're super cool! You see some of these guys that are really freaking strong."

Teneki was tired of all this talking, "Okay, so we're S-ranked missing-nin. Kisame wasn't lying about us wanting peace you know."

Naruto shook his head, "Doesn't mean I can trust you guys. Sorry, but we're staying right here in the hidden Leaf."

Teneki was done talking, "Fine then, let's see how you little brats handle us!"

Sakura leaned over to Naruto and whispered, "Make a clone and send it out to go get help. I'll use a genjutsu to make sure that they don't see it."

Naruto nodded and made a clone that Sakura quickly covered up in a genjutsu. After it had gone, Naruto turned to his attackers, "You wanna fight, then let's fight!"

Grabbed a kunai out of his holster, Naruto threw it at Teneki. He expected to hear something deflect it or even the sound of it entering flesh if he was lucky, but he didn't hear anything at at. When he saw Teneki, he couldn't help but be impressed.

Some kind of electricity was holding the kunai a safe distance from Teneki's body. She tossed it aside and said, "It's my bloodline, Static Realse. That's actually a strange name for it, considering my body actually absorbs the static."

All of the genin and chunin started to feel a chill go up their spins as she explained exactly how her powers worked, "Yeah see, the air is constantly filled with static electricity which normal people can sometime conduct and give people small shocks. What I do is much more powerful. My body naturally takes in the static and it merges with my lighting style chakra. The static so naturally moves through body that when I merge it with my lighting chakra it gives me an incredible amount of control over it. I can do shape manipulation without even doing any handsigns and since there's always static in the air, I never really run out of chakra. Basically, I'm not someone you want to be fighting."

She gave an evil smile as she twitched her right hand slightly, sending a blast of lightning at Naruto at a speed he couldn't even comprehend. Naruto groaned on the ground as she walked over to him, but Hinata stopped her, "If you take one step closer to Naruto-kun, I will make your life a living hell."

Teneki didn't seemed nervous, "You've got some spunk girly, but I'll take a lot more than that to beat me."

Hinata didn't move, "You don't scare me."

Teneki raised up her hand, "Well I should."

She sent an even larger blast of lightning at Hinata, sending her flying into a nearby tree. Naruto got up and screamed, "Hinata-chan! You're gonna pay for that you bitch!"

Teneki gave a dark chuckled, "Oh, and do you think you can make me?"

Naruto started to ammit a massive amount of the Kyuubi's chakra, "Yeah, I am."

Two clones appeared behind him and began to form a Rasengan in his hand. Teneki tried to send another blast of lightning at the boy to stop him, but one of the clones Naruto made jumped in front of it to stop it. Naruto charged at Teneki with his Rasengan being stronger than usually than thanks to the Kyuubi's chakra.

Teneki didn't feel the need to move as figured that she could use her static electricity to block it. She surround herself with a walk of lighting that looked like a chain link fence. When the Rasengan hit it, the wall quickly started to break. The Akatsuki woman was about to make the wall stronger, but ran out of time and took the full blow of the Rasengan. It sent her flying into a tree just like she'd done earlier to Hinata.

Kisame was chuckling, "Wow, I really didn't think that I would need to help you against some little chunin."

Teneki got holding her stomach and yelled, "I just underestimated him. You hear me brat? That won't happen again!"

Obito used his Kamui to appear behind her, "No, it won't. Because you'll be leaving now. Go work sending that clone to help Naruto. You can cut off the Kyuubi's power now."

Naruto didn't want to, but did as he was told. Kisame knew who Obito was and knew it wasn't a good idea to get into a fight with him, especially if back up wasn't far behind. He turned to his partner, "Come on Teneki, we should get outta here. This isn't the right time to get the kids just yet. Don't worry kid, we'll be back."

Teneki growled at him, "And next time I'm gonna kick your ass."

The two of them left and Kakashi asked, "Dad, who were those guys?"

Obito wasn't sure, "I don't know, but I don't like the look of them?"

* * *

So you've meet Teneki. Tell me what you think of here in reviews if it ain't too much trouble.


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60, time for something kind of different in this chapter. I've been trying to decided if I wanted to do the time skip and if I do what it would revolve around. In the end, I've decided that I'm going to sort of do a time skip, but I'll be covering what's going on during it. It'll be over the course of three years and I'll cover it in five chapters. As far as what it's gonna be about, I'll wait for you to read the chapter to find that out. As always, thanks for reading and please review.

page break

Obito leaned back in his chair thinking about the mysterious figures that had invade his village yesterday. They raised so many questions in his mind. How had they gotten in so easily? Why were they after Naruto and Fu? Was is because they were jinjurikis? What was this organization they belonged to. So many questions without even a single answer. He was hoping Jiraiya might be able to shed some light on the situation.

That's when he heard a knock on the door and Jiraiya walked in, "You needed to see me."

Obito motioned to a chair, "Yes, sit down please."

Jiraiya could see that whatever he wanted to talk about was very serious, "What is it? Is that about those two wackos that came here earlier today?"

Obito nodded, "I believe that you might know about them. Kisame from the hidden Mist and Teneki from the hidden Cloud."

Jiraiya knew both of those names alright, "Wait a minute, those were the two who came here earlier? Why am I just finding out about this now?"

Obito could see that Jiraiya didn't like the look of these guys, "I only found out about an hour ago myself. So I'm guessing that you've come across them before?"

Jiraiya start rummaging around his coat for a scroll, "No, but I've heard about them from my guys several times. At least I used to. Kisame went off the map about thirteen years ago and Teneki about ten years ago. People like that don't just disappear for no reason."

Obito was wondering where he was going with this, "Okay, so what does that mean for us?"

Jiraiya finally found the scroll and gave it to Obito. It had some notes written down on it and a symbol that looked very familiar to Obito, "This symbol here, the one that looks like a cloud, I saw it on the cloaks those two were wearing."

Jiraiya had expect that much, "That would be the symbol of the Akatsuki,. I haven't been able to get much on them, but I do know that they're an organization of S-ranked criminals. I've only been able to get a couple suspect members, but that's about it. I'd suspect those two were members a while back, I think Sasori of the red sand might be too.I've got a couple thought on what they're motive might be, but I'm not sure enough to say just yet. The only thing I can't seem to figure out for sure is who the hell started up this little gang. It's gotta be someone pretty damn strong if they can gather up this many powerful ninjas under them"

Obito had a feeling he knew what that motive might be, "You think they might be after the jinjurikis?"

Jiraiya did like that fact that he knew that already, "...They went after Naruto didn't they?"

Obito sighed, "I'm afraid so, and Fu as well but I got there with enough time to stop them. They promised to return as well. You know what this means don't you?"

Jiraiya knew exactly what it meant, "It means we've gotta try and figure out some kind of way protect those two. What the hell are we gonna do? How are we supposed to send them on missions while having to keep someone strong enough to take on S-ranked criminals with them at all times?"

Obito wasn't sure either, "The only thing I can think do is try to train them with their tailed beasts. That's the only way they'll be strong enough to take them on."

Jiraiya agreed, "Alright then, I've already started helping Naruto and I can start helping Fu as well,"

Obito shook his head, "I'm sorry Jiraiya, but you don't know enough about this stuff to properly teach them. We need someone who really knows what they're doing. I don't just want them to tap into their tailed beasts chakra, I want them to be able to use it's full power.."

Jiraiya didn't seem offended by what he had said, "That's true, but I'm the only one we can trust that comes even close to knowing how to do that."

Obito had a crazy idea, "Then maybe we need to use someone we're not sure we can trust. I know there's one person who could teach those two how to properly use that power and he might be the only person who can do it."

Jiraiya knew just who he was talking about, "You can't be serious. There's no way in hell we can trust them!"

Obito seemed to be going over something in his head, "Then you know who I'm talking about?"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, "The only person who can do that is Killer Bee of the hidden Cloud. If we were to send them to train with him then the hidden Cloud is going to make sure they get to keep them."

Obito didn't seem so certain of that, "Maybe not. Get me the council, I think I might just know how to make this work."

Jiraiya still wasn't sure he liked this, but figured he owed it to Obito to hear him out. He left to go and tell the assistant to go and gather the council. If Obito really did have a way to get these kids strong enough to take on the Akatsuki, he wanted to hear it.

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Danzo had to stop himself from trying to kill Obito right then and there, "You want to send two of most powerful weapons to another village? One that's likely to steal them no less? I had my doubts when Hiruzen made you Hokage, but now I'm certain you're a damn fool. You must have lost your mind."

Obito glared at him angry. He'd gotten about as far as he had with Jiraiya before Danzo interrupted him, "If you'd let me finish, there's a lot more I'd like to say. Basically, I believe we have a few things that they want, besides Naruto and Fu of course."

Tsunade was wondering what the hell that could be, "I wasn't aware we had anything even remotely of value to hidden Cloud that we'd be willing to give away."

Obito was glad she was the one who had said, "Oh, but we do. The hidden Cloud is easily the least advanced of the five great hidden villages in the medical field. If we'd be willing to give them some help in advancing their hospitals, I imagine there's a lot of things they'd be willing to give us."

Hiruzen asked the next question, "True, but you think that's all it's going to take to get them to help us? Besides, what's to stop them from just getting the info and keeping Naruto and Fu?"

Obito knew that was a valid question, "We won't be giving them anything until Naruto and Fu have reached a certain level. I was going to give them our end of the deal little by little as they start training Naruto and Fu."

Hiruzen was still, "Yes, but they could still keep them once they get all of the information?"

Obito had already thought of that, "Medical information wasn't the only thing I was planning on giving them. We'll also be giving them information on the Akatsuki that we could cut off at any second if they decided to try and keep Naruto and Fu. Besides, Naruto and Fu would never agree to work with them and I've got a little something special planned to make sure they don't try and kill them."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, "Alright I'll bite. What've you got to make sure the Cloud doesn't kill them and try and keep the tailed beasts?"

Obito pulled out a scroll with a seal on it, "This is a special seal that's designed to go off if they get put in some kind of serious danger. I'm not going to go into how the seal works as it really doesn't matter, but it works just fine. It's actually a seal Minato-sensei used years ago during the third great shinobi war. If something goes wrong, Ican teleport there, grab the two, and teleport back."

Danzo was impressed, "I had no idea you could teleport that far."

Obito shrugged, "All I need is a location. With that seal acting as a beacon, it'll be really easy to get there and back. Granted teleporting there and then coming back with them will drain an incredibly large amount of my chakra, but I'm not really all that concerned about it."

Jiraiya was starting to come around, "Maybe if we offer them the chance to be allies with us and the Sand as well we could seal the deal. If we combined all of this into one big offer, I think they'll actually accept. This is freaking genius Obito."

Obito chuckled, "I have my moments. Any other objects?"

No one said anything. They had to admit, it was a good plan. Obito grabbed a scroll, "In that case, I'll write up the offer and give it to you guys for approval. It'll only take a couple of minutes. Someone get me a messenger bird for when it's finished please. Actually, get me one for the hidden Sand village first. I think I'll se if the hidden Sand would like to get Gaara involved in this as well before I send the final scroll to the Raikage."

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A, the Fourth Raikage, read the scroll from the hidden Leaf for what must have been the dozenth time. They'd gotten the scroll just under a week ago and A had been waiting for Killer Bee to arrive so that they could discuss it. While the council had thought it was a decent idea, A wasn't so sure. Admittedly, the idea of being allies with the Leaf and the Sand was something that sounded fantastic the idea of gaining three more tailed beast was amazing as well.

The council said that capturing the three of them would just be too much trouble and A had to admit there was some truth to that. He knew that the Cloud didn't have many friends left and that they couldn't afford to get into a war right now. Not to mention that not having many friends left thing also added on to the argument that they should side with Leaf. Plus, they would still have the tailed beast, just directly under their control.

A was broken out of his thought by the familiar sound of his brother rapping, "Make way you, I'm here to see my bro! I'm the hidden Cloud and I'm gonna get loud! Aw yeah!"

There were times that A almost missed that rapping...almost. He gave his brother their usual fist bump and A said his typical hello, "How have you been Bee?"

Bee started rapping again, "Me and eight are doing great! Fool, ya fool!"

A once again felt like smacking his brother in the head, but stopped himself, "I've got something important I've got to decided on and it involves you. I need you to look over this scroll and tell me what you think."

Bee grabbed the scroll excitedly, "Alright! What'd ya got for the mighty Killer Bee?"

Bee read over the scroll and before long he was grinning ear to ear, "This great bro, is this a real offer?"

A could see that his brother didn't seem as skeptical as he did, "Yeah, this is a real offer that's on the table. I take it that you think we should go through with it?"

Bee just kept going nuts, "Hell yeah! This is just too damn good to give up!'

A wasn't sure if his brother knew exactly what he was agreeing to, "You know that means you're going to have to be a sensei to three kids right?"

Bee was practically bouncing off the walls at this point, "Yeah, that's one of the best parts yo! Tell them that we agree already, ya know?"

A could see that everyone else thought this was a good idea. It was a good offer if he was being honest about it. He grabbed a scroll and wrote down his response. Looks like after all these years the hidden Leaf and the hidden Cloud would be allies after all.

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That's it for today. See you all tomorrow.


End file.
